Livoma where he gained some advantage upon Samonskie besieged Riga but in vain and returned into Sweden in great danger to be drowned When he had gotten the Crown upon his head he gave the reasons thereof to all Christian Kings and Princes justifying his proceedings the best he could and seeking the allyance of his Neighbours and chiefly that of the States Generall Samonskie the Great Chancellonr aforesaid writ against him and cried our upon his ambition which greatly offended him and gave subject of great grudges between them which grew at length to implacable hatred Chules looset the Battel Fortune frowned upon him at Riga for his Army being much stronger then that of Poland was rooted by General Cockevietz who having senr four hundred of the Livonian horse over a River to attack the Swedes in the Reer wonne the Battel by this stratatagem and so Livonia came to be under the Polanders till the Reign of the Great Gustavus Adolphus who reduced it to his obedience All Livonia hath embraced the Lutheran Religion as well as Sweden where it is held for one of their Fundamentall Lawes as it also is almost through all the North. Sweden is the biggest of all the Northern kingdoms the Head City whereof is Stockholm a Town the Suburbs and Sea-thore or strand comprised of great distent There are many huge Mountains Rocks and Forrests where are sometimes heard great illusions and phancies as there likewise are in the water which are very troublesome and terrible both to men and horses which passe that way The country is not much inhabited and the chief Provinces are West-Gothland East-gothland from whence as also from the rest of Sweden according to the opinion of some Authours came the Goths who so much vexed the Romane Empyre This kingdom is full of Copper and Iron Mines The Swedes are good souldiers both by Sea and Land and have given incredible examples of their valour both in Germany and Denmark they are of a strong Complexion and sit to endure hardnesse and labour The Nobility is very mild and frank loves learning and languages but especially Latin and French travels much abroad is very dexterous at exercises and honours and seeks learned company Yea and they have this vertue above all other nations wherewith I have conversed that they heartily love one another our of their own country hide the vices of their Compatriots and stand much for the honour of their nation The Peasants or Country people send their Deputies to the Assemblies of the States to the end that nothing be coucluded there to the prejudice of their priviledges King Gustave and Queen Christine his Daughter now reigning created much new Gentry which in some sort is disdained by the ancient Families in regard the Nobility of the kingdom was almost exhausted by the Warres CHAP. VI Of Denmark The Description thereof DEnmark is a kingdom the best part whereof consists of Islands as namely Zeland and Fionia The Province of Scania reaches up to Sweden and Jutland to Holstein It was peacefully gouerned by the prudent conduct of King Christian the fourth successour to Frederick the second his Father and Duke of Holstein During his minority he had four Counsellours to help him to bear the charge of the Government He was crowned the 29 th of August in the year 1596. The principal strength of this Kingdom consists of good and stately ships whereof the King hath a considerable number as well for the defence of his said Islands as for that most important passage of the Sownd which is the streight that separates Scania from Zeland and which is of huge advantage by reason of the infinity of ships which must passe over it to go into the Baltick Sea in the same manner that those of all the Havens of the said Sea and bound for the Ocean are forced to passe that way The Nobility of Denmark as also that of Holstein is much more inclined to warres then learning zealous for their liberty and Rights and makes no allyance by marriage with the common people a maxime much observed through all the North Poland and Germany They rufuse Ecclesiastical Honours as below their condition defend their priviledges and make no esteem of others though by their experience and knowledge they may merit the best Offices and Employments in the Country The Government is not much unlike that of Poland in both which Elective Kingdomes the Kings undertake nothing of importance without the consent of the States and Nobility The Gentlemen are all equall and as it were of one Family there being neither Earl nor Baron The Officers of the Crown and Counsellours of the kingdome have the preheminency and assist the King in the most weighty affaires of the Countrey Norway an Hereditary kingdom opposite to Great Britain or England It is very big but very desert and hath no considerable Towns but such as are near the Sea side It yeelds great store of fish wood boards and good skins These three kingdomes were heretofore under the government of the King of Denmark But the Swedes not being able to suffer the tyranny of Christian the second divided themselves from his obedience They all follow the Lutheran Religion and the Capitall City of Denmark is Coppenhaghen a very fair town situated upon the streight of the Sownd near the Baltick Sea a passage of about four leagues most pleasant and recreative by means of a Forrest which borders upon the Sea from Coppenhaghen to Elsener of which passage because it is so much envyed we will hereafter speak more at large The Peasants of Denmark and Poland are treated almost like slaves for the greatest part of the Nobility licentiously abusing their liberty despises all who are not Gentlemen A fault which hath drawn ruine upon many Families which boasted of the story of their Ancestours But it is not enough to be born a Gentleman unlesse it appear by vertuous laudable and generous actions CHAP. VII Of Great Britain The History of the Earl of Gore ENgland is a most fertile and most potent Island as well for scituation as men and ships There reigned Queen Elizabeth a Princesse as happy in her allyances success of arms and love of her subjects as ever was She was Daughter to Henry the 8 th and Sister to Mary and Edward She changed the Religion declared her self Head of the Church She was alwaies well served She sent strong succours to the King of Navarre and her subjects wonne many victories by Sea from the Spaniard against whom she continued her hatred even till her death in favour of the Vnited Provinces of the Low-countries She was a sworne enemy to the Roman Catholick Religion and seemed to have made it her task to destroy that as well as she had the King who bears the surname of it Scotland is a kingdom which makes a part but not the better part of this Island There reigned as King Lames Stewart a Prince esteemed very wise who resented
were all detained prisoners contrary to the Agreement made by a maxime little usual for they would not release them because they would not draine the Source of them and exhaust the Country of Souldiers It is to be noted that this said Fort before which there perished the Flower of the French Nobility and which merited not to be attacked had it not been for the consideration of the Haven yeelded to testifie to the French that the honour thereof was due to the Hollanders And these small grudges served but to sharpen their stomacks hasten the taking of Dunker and Fuernes The eleventh of October 1646 Thus almost all Flanders being conquered they doubted no more of expelling the Spaniards since there wanted onely one effort or last blow for it whereof France for her part was resolved Wherefore the King sent to intreat the Prince of Orange to lay siege before Antwerp and promised him the succour of six thousand men demanding onely four Churches for the Roman Catholicks in lieu thereof to which the Prince consented but the found some difficulty in the determination of the States For they of Zeland protested against it and they of Amsterdam would not have the said Town taken for feare least the Commerce should return thither again But there was yet another stronger and more considerable reason and jealousic had already taken too firme root to be so easily plucked up The Marshals Gassions and Rantzaw after having put good order at Courtrack advanced with their Troops towards the Channel betwen Gaunt and Bridges secured the Princes passage and drove back Piccolomini who durst not venture any thing against them The Prince after having passed made a circuit found plunder for his Souldiers rendred the Duke of Orleans a visit then crossed the River Skelde and entred the Land of Wass General Back seeing this storme ready to fall upon him after having stopped the Hollanders below Gannt retired himselfe and pitched his Camp a league beyond Antwerp for the safety whereof all being in confusion he left the fruitful Land of Wass to the Enemy as also the Town of Hulst which the Prince forced to yeeld Hulst besieged and taken after a moneths Siege Fortune which had alwayes accompained him made it appeare that he was yet her Darling in this occasion for though it were in the moneth of October it was faire and dry weather and had it been rainy according to the Season he had run hazard of loosing the benefit of this Field and of blemishing in some sort the splendour of so many gallant exploits as had been happily accomplished by him CHAP. XVIII The War of England The Tragical death of the King FErdinand the third at present Emperour had good reason to say these words which are reported to have been once uttered by him by way of deploring the calamity of this Age. The Princes of the Empire said he will be râ—â—ved and the evils and disasters which we suffer will rebound upon the heads of them who make us suffer them He is now in repose and sees all the calamities of Germany transported into England and other places But let us first begin with England without seeking the speculative Causes or casting them at all upon the sins of men To the end that we may speak with the more ground of what hath passed in this Kingdom we will derive the Source thereof from William the Conquerours time CHARLES PAR LA GRACE DE DIET-ROY D'ANGE ETERRE sould by P. Stent The curses of Fathers and Mothers upon their Children are of most dangerous consequence Behold here a proofe thereof by which this said Kingdom hath bâ—â—â—n afflicted since many Ages past and by the late Tragical Act which turned it into a Common-wealth Robert Son to the abovesaid William being gone to conquer the Holy Land gave his brother Henry the first of that name occasion by his absence to seize upon his Crown who having a desire to marry the Princess Mawde Sister to King Edgare of Scotland who had been long before an inclosed Nun in a Monastery caused her often to be asked with great instancy but the devour Princesse remained constant to her Vow but finding that she would not voluntarily yeeld her brother Edgare King Henry of England marries Mâ—wde Princesse of Scotland fearing Henry's fury was constrained to make her condescend so that she perceiving it to be a businesse of force made a prayer to God that all the issue and posterity which should spring from them might live in perpetuall disquiets and quarrels This malediction of hers hit right and extended it self not onely to the third and fourth generation but even to our Times also in such sort as that there have been few Kings ever since who to raigne in security have not been either necessitated or induced to kill their Brothers or near Kinsmen and who have not also experimented Civill Seditions whereby the Brothers Uncles Children or Brothers in Law have seized upon the Crown In fine the Division under Edwards Children between the Houses of Lancaster and Yorke existed under the Colours of the Red The quarrels between the Houses of Lancaster and York and the White Rose which quarrell after having caused many Battels and the death of above eighty Princes was composed by the marriage of Henry the seventh with Elizabeth of the House of Yorke and so the Roses were re-united to bury the two Factions and terminate the Difference however the Kingdom were not thereby cured of Mawdes Curse for in the year 1587. Queen Elizabeth who then raigned put to death Mary Stewart her Kinswoman after detaining her prisoner almost twenty yeares Thus farre reaches Stephen Basker a Writer of very much esteem but I must passe further and call a milde King upon a Scaffold After Queen Elizabeths decease it looked as if the course of misfortune were stayed by the raigne of King Iames and the Union of three Crownes but this great Calme continuing yet about fifteen yeares after his death turned into the blackest and most furious Tempest that ever was and those waters had not been stopped but to overflow this Field with so much the more violence and desolation Iames Stewart King of Scotland was murthered by a detestable Treason The misfortunes upon the House of Stewart and the Queen his Wife was beheaded in England where shee thought to sinde her Sanctuary from the Faction of her subjects Her Sonne afterwards King of England was likely to be stifled in her wombe Her Grand-Childe ended his dayes as she did hers by the hand of an Executioner and his distressed Children retyred into France to their Mother A strange Catastrophe and a malediction more Tragicall in the end then in the beginning But let us begin this Tragedy by this first Act. The English under a pacificall King lived in such superlative delight and riot produced by an uninterrupted course of many yeares Peace that they grew almost to forget God For it is but
in adversity onely that we are apt to remember him and such as were not content to live in such delicious idlenesse betook themselves to the warre either in Germany or the Low-Countries King Chales will have a Conformity of the Chu ches of Scotland with that of England King Charles made Proclamation for a Conformity as well in Ceremony as otherwife of the Churches in Scotland with these of England The Puritans opposed iâ— a tumult was raised against the Bishops and principall parsons of quality and a new Allyance or Covenant amongst the Puritans The King warned them to renounce it â—ut they on the other side persisted published scandalous Writings made a League abrogated the Episcopall Authority fortified some places and constrained him to leave his rest and take arms The Scots arms The Scots having gotten possession of the Castle of Edinburgh entred in to England took Newcâ—stle and Durham The King called a Parhament which being for the most part composed of Puritans he found them inclined to favour the Scots Whereupon he marched with an Army towards the Botders where he slighted the advice of one of the chief of his Kingdom who told him that if he would be a King and were not weary of raigning he must hazard a Battell But he preferring a pernicious peace before a necessary warre made an accommodation and at the same time called a Parliament which forth with assembled and the Scots after having finished a fine Master-piece of businesse whereof they felt excessive inconveniences after wards returned home The Deputy of Ireland prisoner his death The King gave this Parliament all full and absolure power provided that in any wife it touched not his Preroâ—ative nor such as were near it an individuall point by verâ—ue of a Law made in Henry the seventh's time But the first thing they did was to imprison the Lord Deputy of Ireland who could not be saved by the Kings requests nor his own defence but that he must needs be sacrificed to the hatred of the ignorant people who expressed their brutality by demanding his death and their folly by being moved to compassion at his firm and immutable constance to the last The Prince of Orange in England The Prince of Orange having demanded the eldest Princesse for his Son and obtained her he sent him thither to espouse her where he heard the said Deputies arguments and saw him brought upon the Scaffold and after his departure the Queen conducted her Daughter to the Haghe where she was received with very great honours but found the States more inclined to Neutrality then to meddle with that intestine warre For the King finding his Authority sensibly checked was already retyred to York where he set up his Standard sent for the Knights of the Garter and having neither Ships nor money sought some support in the affections of his subjects but too late for the forces whereof he had dif-invested himselfe were in the Parliaments hands however he was succoured by the greatest part of the Nobility The Malignants and Round-heads who and Gentry upon whom was imposed the name of Malignants as that of Round-heads was upon the Parliament souldiers The Queen having received some money upon her Jewels and drawne a good summe from the Prince of Orange repasted into England War between the King and Parliament but was cast back by a most horrible tompest upon the Coast of Holland though yet some weeks after she arrived in safety with all the Munitions which she had been able to purchase and afterwards retired into France leaving her husband in this storm wherein he was swallowed up S r. Thomas Wentworth c. Lord Debuty of Ireland sould by P. Stent In sine understanding that the English had called in the Scots by vertue of the Covenant concluded and confirmed by Oath on both Parcies wherein they swore the destruction of the Bishops he dispatched Prince Robert against them The Royâ—lists beaten by the Scots who joyned his forces though not his opinion with the Earl of Newcastle for he would needs venter a Battail which he lost and the said Earl fled into Germany and all the Kings felicity with him During these interludes the Earl of Montroffe did wonders for the King in Scotland for with a very small Army he gained a Battail came off with advantage in many encounters and repayred in fine the Kings affaires there Montrosse for the King in Scotland whilest they impayred in England for having lost another victory to Fairfax he was compelled to retyre to Oxford where he was besieged Whereupon his Son went into France and himself fled disguised to the Scotch Army The King flies to the Scotch Army and is sold who received him at first with great honour and complement though afterwards they delivered him up to the Parliament Army for a summe of mony He was made passe amongst the people for a Papist and a Tyrant and that he had a design to annull all the Priviledges of England c. Ah ungratefull People Ah Scotch Captains You who have the renown of being Souldiers how could you consent to such a basenesse Had avarice more power over your soules then respect vertue and duty For though you had an opinion that the King were a Papist is it lawfull for subjects to act against the Annointed of the Lord that which they would not have done to themselves As soon as the news of the Deputies imprisonment arrived in Ireland The revolt in Ireland the Irish took Arms to free themselves from the Captivity of the English as they called it but with so much barbarity and cruelty that they rendred themselves detestable thereby especially to such as knew how they had been treated by the English But what will not people undertake which from a long time are grown brutish and savage when they crush the head of their Governours with their own Chaines The Collections which were made in Holland for the succour of the Reformates in that Country The Collections in Holland for what begat as well the admiration of the Charity of that Nation towards their Brethren as doubt also on the other side whether such large summes ever arrived there The King being near London found himself reduced to the extremity of granting them of the Parliament whatsoever they asked and not being able to suffer some inconveniences which were cast upon him he made his escape to the Isle of Wight where he was treated like a prisoner But in fine being led back again to London and the Vpper House being abolished The King is executed the 30. of January 1649. he was accused by the Army and brought before a High Court of Justice where he was tryed condemned to be beheaded and executed the thirtieth of January 1649. There have happened enormous accidents in this Age but none which hath so much astonished the world as this strange proceeding Such as are curious have made a shift
Drummes to be beaten and confirmed a most straight Allyance with the aforesaid Arch-Duke the principall conditions whereof were that neither Party should lay down Armes till the Princes were released the Duke of Lorraine restored to his States Sedan rendered and a firm Peace concluded between the two Crownes Which done they began to raise forces and the Spaniards disposed themselves to put theirs into the field The common opinion that the Spaniard sowes dissention in France refuted It is the opinion of many persons that the King of Spain endeavoured to corrupt the greatest part of the Nobleman of France with money and sowed sedition and revolt amongst them with this glittering mettall as if that Nation were not unquiet and turbulent enough of it self without his being necessitated to draine his Treasures to move it And yet suppose that he did it it was no more then what is ordinarily practised every where when there is an apparence of profit being incited thereto by Reason of State and then what was done by King Lewis the eleventh in England and elsewhere But to what purpose should it serve him save only to spend his mony unprofitably enough as appeared by their inconstance Many of them have often retyred themselves into his Dominions to seek their own security and his protection both which they have found and an honourable maintenance to boot but how have they taken their leave Lewis the eleventh being yet in his Dolphin-age withdrew himself to the Duke of Burgundy and for recompence as soon as he was in the Royall Throne he began and continued a war upon the Burgundlans But let us stay in our Age where we shall finde matter enough The Duke of Orleans twice at Brussels The Duke of Orleans fled twice to Brussels cast himself into the King of Spalnes arms who succoured him protected him and gave him an honourable allowance together with his Mother the Queen But being once reconciled and even after the King his Brothers decease he employed himself with as much heat as the most mortall enemy in the world to make warre in Flanders so to destroy his own Sanctuary And other Lords and spoyl his Protectour when all that people thought he would fix all his thoughts upon Peace The Dukes of Guise and Elbenf followed the same trace the former in Italy and the latter in Flanders And what shall we say of the Marshall of Turenne and the Allyance so solemnly sworne with the Arch-Duke The issue shewed that he returned with the same levity before the work was finished and so rendred that fair Field intructuous This is the profit of the Spanish Cathalicon and this the foundation upon which the King built his Conquests or rather this is the recompence of his liberality I praise the fidelity of the French but I blame their inconstance and presume to say aloud that the first obligation cannot dispense with the second made freely and without constraint Nor are there many such examples to be found amongst other Nations yea and it would be very ill taken in France if a stranger after having found his sanctuary there should after his reconciliation labour to make war against it Maurice Duke of Saxony Albert of Brandenburgh and some others made a League with Henry the second for the Liberty of Germany but findings that the French instead of Liberty layd hold of some Places they reconciled themselves with the Emperour and yet were they taxed of perfidy at the Court of France The Count of Fustenbergh having withdrawne himself from the service of King Francis the first and returned into the Emperours favour was beaten in seeking a passage upon the River of Marne and like to be knocked in the head for his ingratitude But let us returne to our purpose The renduclion of Belle-garde 1650. The King having assured himself of Normandy and many Places held by the Prince of Condes Lieutenants caused Bellegarde to be besiedged which quickly submitted for want of succour and he rendred the Inhabitants their Priviledges Let us passe the Sea Charles Stewart goes into Scotland The Scots being Assembled at Edenburgh resolved to take Charles Stewart for their King to which effect they sent Commissioners to treat with him at the Haghe and proclaimed him King of Scotland and England which extremely offended the Parliament at London He departed from Scheveling and we will let him go in great danger to behold the honour which was done Generall Cromwell for having reconquered almost all Ireland the Natives whereof being moved to take Armes by zeal of Religion and respect to the said Charles implored the assistance of the Pope and some other Christian Princes but not being seconded The Irish tamed and puâ—ished and falling into division amongst themselves they were easily tamed and chastized as well for having taken Arms as for having abused the English The Diet at Nurembergh In the same yeare the Diet was held at Nurembergh where after the agreement was made about the restitution of Places and the Assessement for moncy to pay the souldiers the rest of the time was spent in Visits and sumptuous Banquets Festivities and Fire-works of rate workmanship and skil The Duke of Amalsi formerly Piccolomini was there on the behalfe of the Emperours and acquired great admiration and Duke Charles for the Crowne of Sweden Some Counts were forced to pawne their wives Jewells and other Ornaments to be so much the sooner rid of these troublesome Guests Thus the Germans were whipt and payd for the Rodde for they were faine to give whatsoever they had left to recover that which was growne savage and desert The States of the Empyre sent an Embassadour expresse into Spain to beseech the King to draw his Garrison out of Frankendal which was granted at length that so the Peace might have full vigour as we will shew hereaster But since the Embassadours depart from Nurembergh let us go also out of Germany and hasten downe the Rheyn into Holland to see what passes there concerning the reduction of the Militia and other accidents Who will bee able to hide himselfe from the face of the Lord CHAP. VI Containing what passed in the Summer of this yeare of 1650. The Portugal Embassadours offers The Fleet in the Indies does nothing The Princ 's complaints The Siedge of Amsterdam The Imprisonment of six Lords who were carried to Louvestein The Prince of Oranges death His Prayer THe Zelanders before they would ratifie the Peace which they did with an ill will as well in regard of France as for the profit of some particular persons who were wont to go to the Cape of Grip would needs be assured of a prompt supply for the Company of the little Indies The estates of Orphans in Zeland employed in the Company of the Indies which was grown to decay by the revolt of Portugal Which was granted them because the Goods and Estates of many widowes Fatherless children and other persons of
Who are beaten to retire themselves by night in confusion leaving part of their Baggage their Canon and many thousands of prisoners behinde them This Victory sent from above rejoyced all Poland and caused Fire-works and the Embassadours who were at Lubeck treating the Peace between them and Swedes imparted the newes to their friends who expressed great rejoycings as the ancient Town of Lubeck also did by their example Hitherto we have seen Traffick almost abolished by land by means of the war which hath ruined and devoured all things and we shall forthwith see it in almost as miserable a condition by sea though there be no Mountains nor Forrests to receive and shelter Rovers After the Peace was made the Great Master of the Knights of Malta sent his Deputies to the Haghe to redemand the Lands or Goods The Knights of Malta take the Holland Ships The French do the same belonto his Order but having obtained nothing he got Letters of Reprisal and his Knights took many Holland Ships in the Levant as the French also did so that the complaints and mennaces of the Merchants were heard against France yea Monsieur Boreel Embassadour for the Common-wealth at Paris made them sound loud but he reaped nothing but promises with very small effect which would have caused a great alteration had it not been moderated by the prudence of this solid and stayd Nation Robleries at Sea Prince Robert also being favoured by the Portugueses did what he could to hurt the English the effects whereof were so much resented by the Merchants of that Common-wealth that they had no will at all to laugh And besides the Pirates having Commission from the King of Scots did extreme mischief and had their retreat at Jersy and Sicilly two Islands situated at about fifty degrees between England and Ireland for they took all without distinction in such sort as it was necessary to send Admirall Tromp thither and the English Fleet which unnestled these Theeves and a little while after seazed upon the said Isle of Iersy The Irish were also bold enough to seek their advantage with the same Orders though with lesse strength But small Theeves make themselves sometimes feared These losses which were praecursory to greater evills much diminished Trade by the great Guards or Convoyes which it was needfull to send with the Merchants ships and by the Charges of insuring the Merchandizes The Dunkerkers did no great hurt But they aforesaid made themselves feared by the number and bigness of their Vessels and the conveniency of their Havens Envie Avarice and Vengeance produced these misfortunes We have already spoken of the triumphant Coronation of the Queen of Sweden therefore let us now go and see that of the King of Scots amongst the tumults and disorders of war yea and as one may say on horse-back and with his sword in his hand CHAP. X The Crowning of Charles Stewart His entrance into England He lost the Battail near Worcester The miserable State of the Scots His admirable flight He arrived in France The Difference between the Elector of Brandenburgh and the Duke of Newburgh The peace made CHarles being arrived in Scotland found many difficulties as we have already said The Crowning of the King of Scotland which after he had happily vanquished and taken a solemn Oath the Earl of Argyle together with a Baron and a Citizen put the Crown upon his head to the great contentment of the Assembly which cryed Live King Charles the second Whereupon Douglasse the Minister went into the Pulpit and exhorted him to revenge his Fathers death but he had enough to do to save his own life within a short space after For not being able to drive his enemies out of Scotland he resolved by a very hazardous design to transport the war into England there to animate his friends to take Arms for his service He enters into Scotland and so he entered upon a suddain with an Army of about eighteen thousand fighting men and by often skirmishing came as far as Worcester but either for want of Arms or will no body stirred for him but the Earl of Derby with some three hundred men which were cut in pieces very few escaping but the said Earl himself who carryed him the newes General Cromwell being recovered of his sicknesse and informed of this inopinated invasion followed him and the Parliament raised also new forces to resist him The Battail was given near the said Town of Worcester where the Seots and Royalists animated by the presence of their King carryed themselves well at the beginning but the Horse being broaken took flight and such as were not killed could not escape Is defeated by Cromwell in regard that all the passages were stopt so that the condition of these was more miserable then theirs who died fighting There were seven thousand taken prisoners together with the whole Train of Artillery for they were all caught in a pit-fall except their young King who made a marvellous escape as we will forthwith shew He was conceived to be slain but the Parliament ordained that no body under pain of death should either lodge or relieve him in any wise which begat a suspicion that he was living and enjoyed some kind of fearfull liberty For when he saw that the Battail was lost he fled with twelve Gentlemen in his company whom he was forced to leave for fear of being discovered and known retaining only the Lord Wilmot with whom he hid himself in an hollow Tree for the space of two dayes The King of Scots maiâ—ailously escaped and at length retyred to a certain Gentlewomans house who changed his cloathes conducted him to Bristoll and afterwards to London in the habit of a Gentlewoman where he stayed above three weeks and then he passed into France though he were known to the Master of the Vessel and arrived at Roüen where he was received by the Duke of Longueville and next at Paris by the King the Queens and all the Court. Thus we see how Fortune raises some and pulls down others For had Charles gotten the Battail it is very probable that England had been the price of the victory The victory advantageous to the Parliament This victory confirmed the Parliaments authority and destroyed that of the other Party lost the kingdom of Scotland cast an infinite number of Widowes and Fatherless children into excessive affliction and the poor prisoners into unexpressible calamities The first who appeared upon a Scaffold was the Earl of Derby and his Wife after a capitulation put the Isle of Man into the Parliaments hands The prisoners of note were put into the Tower of London and the most famous and victorious General Cromwell was received with such applauses as were wont to be heretofore given to the first Roman Emperors The Lands of the principal Gentlemen and such as were most affected to the other Party were confiscated But let us now leave England and the Parliament
design drawn from those revolutions Luther writes against the Pope The Rebellion of the Peasants in Germany Page 24. CHAP. XV. The Anabaptists at Munster The Reformates in France A change of Religion in England by what means The King repudiates his wife The Queens Speech He makes himself Head of the Church Luther writes to him His miserable death Page 10. CHAP. XVI Queen Elizabeth banishes the Catholick Religion out of England again by degrees The Protestant Religion goes into Scotland under the Bastard Murrey who swayes the Scepter It is called the Congregation fortified by Queen Elizabeth and the Hughenots of France Page 29. CHAP. XVII Religion gives divers pretexts causes jealousies The Latin and Greek Religion Page 32. THE SECOND BOOK CHAP. I. THe Queen and the States refuse peace The Arch-Duke returns from Spain Henry polishes his Kingdom makes war upon the Duke of Savoy Page 34. CHAP. II. King Henry gives his sister in marriage to the Marquis du Pont. Marries Mary of Medicis wages war against the Duke of Savoy The Enterprise of the said Duke upon Geneva Page 35. CHAP. III. The Jubily Biron put to death The Battail of Flanders La Burlotte killed Rhinbergh yeelds Page 37. CHAP. IV. The Siege of Ostend Maurice endeavours to surprize Boisleducq besieges Grave and takes it Page 38. CHAP. V. Peace between the Spaniards and the English King Henry establishes the Jesuits Father Cotton hurt The war is carried on about the Rheyn Page 41. CHAP. VI. The difference which happened between Pope Paul the fifth and the Republick of Venice and why the peace is made The Duke of Brunswick endeavours to surprize the town The King of Denmark goes into England The continuation of the war in the Low-Countries Page 42. CHAP. VII The taking of Ringbergh The mutiny of the Spaniards The Siege of Grol raised by the promptitude of the Marquis The first overture for a Truce rejected Page 44. CHAP. VIII The defeat of the Spanish Armada The Enterprize upon Sluce failed The continuance of the Treaty Spinola arrives at the Haghe The Treaty being broaken again is renewed at Antwerp where the Truce is made for twelve yeares Page 46. CHAP. IX The State of France The King goes to Sedan Troubles in Austria and Bohemia A Conjuration discovered in Spain and the Mores banished Page 48. CHAP. X. A brief description of the Kingdomes of Spain and France Page 50. CHAP. XI The King of France arms The Spaniards do the same All is full of joy and fear He is killed His education Page 53. CHAP. XII The difference which happened about the Dutchy of Juleers or Gulick Iealousie between the Catholicks and Protestants why A tumult at Donawerdt an Imperiall town about a Procession Gulick besieged by Prince Maurice and the French yeelds The Princes will not admit of a Sequestration Page 56. CHAP. XIII A tumult in Poland and why They suddenly arme The Swedes and Muscovits serve themselves of this occasion against the Polanders who loose Smolensko Treason discovered in England The troubles at Paris appeased Rodolph dies Page 58. CHAP. XIV The war between the Danes and Swedes the reasons why Colmar taken Charles dies The Queen-Regent purchases a double marriage in Spain The town of Aix taken and Newburgh succoured by Spinola Page 60. CHAP. XV. The differences which happened in the United Provinces Barneveldt is beheaded and the Religion of Arminians condemned King Lewis humbles the Hughenots and reduces Bearn Page 62. THE THIRD BOOK CHAP. I. THe Prodigies which preceded the wars of Germany A description of the Kingdom of Bohemia Ancient differences about Religion The warres of Zisca compared to this Page 66. CHAP. II. The Bohemians take Arms and why All the Princes interest themselves in this war Ferdinand elected Emperour Page 69. CHAP. III. The following of the war of Bohemia The Battel of Prague Frederick flies and forsakes the town together with his people Page 71. CHAP. IV. War against the Hughenots and why A new difference betwixt the House of Austria and the Venetians Page 80. CHAP. V. The War of Austria of Lusatia of Moravia and of the Palatinat Page 76. CHAP. VI. The War of Transylvania The King of Poland treacherously wounded War between the Poles and the Turks Page 78. CHAP. VII War in the Palatinat Tilly beaten takes his revenge and defeates the Marquis of Baden The Bishop of Halberstadt makes himselfe known in Westphalia is beaten passes with Mansfeldt through Lorraine and incamps before Sedan Page 73. CHAP. VIII The continuance of the war betwen the Polanders and the Turks The Tragical end of young Osman The Death of some Lords Page 82. CHAP. IX Sadnesse in the United Provinces for the ill success of Fredericks affaires The war begins again between them and the Spaniards Gulick and Pape-mutz yeeld themselves Count Henry suspected and why Page 83. CHAP. X. Berghen is besieged Mansfeldt and his Bishop beaten by Cordua come to succour the Hollanders The Duke of Boüillous death and a summary of his life Spinola quits the siege Mansfeldt goes into Freezland The third war in France Page 85. CHAP. XI Of the Swissers and Grizous and their Government The fall of a Mountain Soubize breakes the Peace The death of the Great Priour and of the Marshal of Ornano Page 88. CHAP. XII Mansfeldt seeks succour every where puts an Army on foot again The marriage of the Prince of Wales with a Danghter of France after his returne from Spain Page 91. CHAP. XIII The siege of Bredà Enterprises upon Antwerp Page 93. THE FOURTH BOOK CHAP. I. The war of Denmark The Allyances of the Kings of England France and Denmark as also of the States of Holland against the Emperour Page 96. CHAP. II. The prosecution of the second war against the Hughenots The Peace is made by the intercession of the King of England the Venetians and the Hollanders War between the English and the French and why The beginning of the third and last war against the Hughenots Cardinal Richelieu makes himselfe known admired and feared The siege and reduction of Rochell Page 99. CHAP. III. The following of the war of Denmark unfortunate to the Danes Wallenstein besiedges Stralsund in vain The peace is made Page 103. CHAP. IV. The war of the Peasants or Country-people of Austria Page 105. CHAP. V. The death of Prince Maurice and of the King of England The siege of Groll The state of Lorraine The Jubily at Rome Bethleem Gabor makes war against the Emperour and obtaines peace Page 106. CHAP. VI. Gustave King of Sweden attacks Broussia or Prussia The Imperialists succour the Poles Truce is made for six years Page 108. CHAP. VII The siege of Boisleducq or the Bosse The Imperialists under Montecuculi joyne with the Count of Bergh who enters the Velaw The taking of Wesel Page 110. CHAP. VIII The following of the last war against the Reformates in France The Duke of Rohan makes his peace All the Townes stoop and throw down their
death Page 189. CHAP. XII Whether the House of Austria aspire to an universall Monarchy and whether the reasons be sufficient which accuse it of aspiring to it Why France retaines Lorraine Page 191. CHAP. XIII Piccolomini raises the Siege from before Wolfenbottel with losse Torstenson arrives from Sweden with a supply Lamboy beaten and taken prisoner The progresse of the Swedes in Silesia The Imperialists defeated before Leipsick recollect themselves after having punished the slacknesse of the souldiers and raise the Siege of Friburgh The Battail of Honcourt The Expleits in Catalunia The death of Monsieur le Grand The death of the Great Cardinal An Epitome of his life Page 194. CHAP. XIV The death of Lewis the Iust The Battail of Rocroy The Battail of Dudling The Swedes enter into Holstein Page 198. CHAP. XV. Of the war of Denmark with all the circumstances thereof Page 200. CHAP. XVI Gallasso retyres out of Holstein and is ruined by Torstenson at Magdeburgh The Battail of Lankewitz The Exploits of the French in Alsatia under the conduct of the Duke of Anguien The taking of Philipsburgh 203. CHAP. XVII The deplorable state of the obedient Low-Countries The taking of many of the strongest townes in Flanders Page 206. CHAP. XVIII The war of England The Tragical death of the King Page 208. CHAP. XIX A continuation of the Exploits in Flanders The Baâ—tail of Lenâ—â— Page 212. CHAP. XX. The Peace between the King of Spain and the Confederated States The remarkable siege of Brin Torstenson quits the Generalate Page 213. CHAP. XXI The difference which happened betwixt the two Families of the Landgraves The Battels of Mergendal and Nortlinghen Generall Mercy 's death Page 216. CHAP. XXII The Exploits of the Swedes upon the Franteers of Swisserland alarme the Cantons Gallasso's death Melander Generall of the Imperiall Armies Page 219. CHAP. XXIII The taking of Swinsfort and Eger Lamboy and Conninxmark incamped before Rene. The taking of Retschin The siege of Prague Page 222. CHAP. XXIV The breach of the Truce with the Duke of Bavaria A tempest upon the Elbe Melanders death The Peace of Germany The death of the King of Denmark and of Uladislaus of Poland Casimir succeeds him Page 223. CHAP. XXV Pope Urbans death The wars of Italy and Catalunia Page 226. THE SECOND BOOK CHAP. I. THe tumults at Naples begun by Thomaso Aniello and why The history of Conradin Prince of Swaveland his death the Sicilian Vespers or Even-songs The history of Catenesa and of the Tragedies which happened at Naples Page 230. CHAP. II. The war of the Turks and the Venetians and why The taking of Canea The Knights of Malta take a great Booty a great number of Gallies and the young Sultanesse with her Sonne The Venetians obtain succour but are beaten Page 234. CHAP. III. The troubles which happened at Paris The City is besieged The Arch-Duke comes to succour it The Siege and taking of Ypers Cambray besieged in vain Hennault ransacked Page 237. CHAP. IV. Tumults in the Province of Luke or Liedge The Election of a Coadjuter Tumules at Trevirs The Lorrains in the Kingdom of Aix and in the Dutchy of Gulick beat the Peasants The war is kindled again at Naples Page 239. CHAP. V. The Jubily at Rome The Princes imprisoned The Princesse of Conde the Duke of Bouillon and other Lords retyre themselves so Bourdeaux The Dutchess of Longueville and the Vice-Count of Turenne to Stenay The Allyance is made The Duke of Orleans in Flanders and a digression upon that subject Page 244. CHAP. VI. Containing what passed in the Summer of this year of 1654. The Offers of the Portugal Embassadour The Fleet in the Indies does nothing The Princes complaints The Siege of Amsterdam The Imprisonment of six Lords carried to Louvestein The Prince of Oranges death His praises Page 247. CHAP. VII The deplorable death of the valiant Earle of Montrosse The war of the Polanders against the Cossacks Page 250. CHAP. VIII Blakes Fleet in Portugal Charles Stuart in Jersey The Kings Goods sold Charies Stuart goes into Scotland The English go thither with an Army The Scots are beaten The continuance of the War in Candy The war made with the Pen. An Embassadour from Spain at London The Chineses or people of China become Christians Page 254. CHAP. IX The Coronation of the Queen of Sweden The dammage at Paris by the River The diliverance of the Princes Mazarin being banished departs out of France The Great Assembly at the Haghe The arrival of the English Embassadours at the Haghe The war against the Cossacks The King of Scots enters into England with an Army is beaten at Worcester and slyes disguised Page 256. CHAP. X. The Coronation of Charles King of the Scots His entry into England He looses the Baetiel near Worcester The miserable condition of the Scots Charles's marvellous escape He arrives in France The difference between the Electour of Brandenburgh and the Duke of Newburgh The peace made Page 258. CHAP. XI Cardinal Mazarins retreat into the Province of Liedge The Princes make their entrance into Paris The joy for the one and the other The Dutchess of Longueville and the Marshal of Turenne returne into France The Prince of Oranges Baptism and the dispute for his tutelage The Bank broken near Waghening Uiefeldt accused of having intended to poison the King Berghen St. Winock taken by the Spaniards Page 260. CHAP. XII The Cardinal returnes into France The Lords who had been prisoners restored to their Charges The Prince of Conde retires to Paris The King declared Major Prodigies seen at sea The beginning of the troubles between England and Holland and why Spirings death Page 262. CHAP. XIII The miseries at sea caused by Pirats The present state of Norway Denmark Sweden Poland Hungary Germany Italy Spain and France etc. Page 264. CHAP. XV. The Prince of Conde comes to Paris The King attacks Estampes The Duke of Lorraine being to succour the Princes receives some money of the King and returnes The Arch-Duke sends back an Army to Paris takes Graveling and Dunkerek The English beat the French Fleet. The Cardinal of Retz induces the King to come back to Paris The Prince of Conde retyres into France Cardinal Mazarins praises The Cardinal of Retz carried to the Bois de Vincennes Page 267. CHAP. XVI The English attack the Convoy of Fishermen Tromp returns to Sea findes Blake a tempest separates them and he comes back into Holland De Ruyter attacks Ascue Van Galens victory before Ligorne Tromp conducts the Fleet safely into France Divers Combats Tromps death Cromwell and his Exploits The Assembly at Ratisbone The Election and Coronation of Ferdinand the fourth King of the Romans Page 271. The Continuation Page 275. Reader The Corrector to the Presse intreats thee to amend with thy Pen these faults which have escaped his eye PAge 1. line 28. read sent p. 2. l. 27. Now. p. 6. l. 16. then p. 7. l. 1. other by p. 12. l. 4.
glory l. 30. the time l. 48. and live after p. 13. l. 35. States p. 14. l. 42. States p. 24. l. last adde But here we must note another evill which partly caused that p. 36. l. 13. apprehension p. 37. l. 16. gave any p 50. l. 40. she is p. 51. l. 9. the point p. 53. l. 35. to the. p. 58. l. 16. as they p. 77. l. 7. and so p. 73. l. 16. storm l. 17. port p. 83. l. 6. in regard p. 84. l. 25. of repast p. 86. l. 18. apprehensions p. 87. l. 17. receivable p. 93. l. 4. how p. 99. l. 38. inconsiderate p. 100. l. 11. Rebellion p. 107. l. 21. brought into p. 112. l. 6. those two l. 35. glory 36. dammageable p. 113. l. 4. Negotiator l. 18. them p. 〈◊〉 l. 50. adored in Germany then in l. 53. neighbours with p. 127. l. 37. such whose party was supplanted p. 132. l. 48. in such p. 1. 5. l. 14. ardout p. 137. l. 26. will hence p. 138. l. 5. he p. 141. marg 1631. p. 144. l. 41. Novelty p. 153. l. 44. noyse of his Arms. p. 154. l. 4. at his p. 150. l. 50. out of p. 172. l. 39. There p. 180. l. 10. winnes the lawrel near the. p. 188. l. 6. good reason yea p. 203. l. 5. unwillingly l. 7. disadvantage p. 213. l. 25. to escape p. 239. l. 3. sacked p. 240. l. 45. at Trevirs p. 245. l. 54. taken p. 247. l. 7. praises p. 255. l. 34. casual p. 265. l. 1. dele little p. 268. l. 7. well enough l. 19. or for p. 209. l. 13. of others p. 276. l. 46. excuse p. 287. l. 18. now held Directions for placing of the Figures THe Emperour of Germany Page 178 The late King of England Page 208 The King of France Page 48 The King of Spain Page 50 The Protectour of England Page 254 The King of Poland Page 251 The Queen of Sweden Page 256 The King of Sweden Page 9 Cardinel Mazarine Page 198 The Prince of Orange Page 260 The Farl of Strafford Page 210 The Arch-Duke Leopold Governour of Flanders Page 237 Pope Alexander the Seventh Page 287 THE HISTORY OF THIS IRON AGE THE FIRST BOOK CHAP. I The state of EVROPB towards the end of the precedent Age. THE Romane Empyre enjoyed a profound Peace France Italy Spaine Lorraine and the Gallicane or French Provinces of the Low-Countries began to respire by the Peace of Vervix All the Partialities of the League grew to be smoothered by the prudence of that Gaulish Hercules The Romane Catholicks HENRY Fourth and they of the Reformed Religion with an agreeable harmony to one anothers grief testified their fidelity to their magnanimous Prince and to please him the more bestowed all their hatred upon his service and their grudges upon the glory of their Country The Germans under the government of Maximilian Nephew to the Emperour Charles and Rodolph his son both meek Princes no more remembred the calamities which they had suffored through the difference about matter of Religion Nor knew they now what belonged to war but by hear-say and report for if by accident they saw any souldiers listed they were appointed for France or the Low-Countries The Forces of the Dubos des deux Ponts of Prince William of Orange of Casimir and of the Duke of Brunsmick The Battell of Anolt were soon the one to be cut in pieces by the Duke of Guise and the other after having committed great extravagances and made shamefull compositions to return with confusion This part whereof only which came into the Bishopprick of Colein to interrupt the marriage of their Electour proved not despisable Frances married fair Agnes of Mansfeld and had almost kindled a great fire but it passed not over the Lisiere and was quenched in the waters of the Rheyn by the valour of the Duke of Parma And so by a good understanding of the Members with their Head there returned a Calme I mean of the Electours and Princes with their Emperour Fear was taken away but distrust which casts her roots every where amongst pleasures caused by abundance was not rooted out This hath smothered the good Corn as we shall hereafter shew and dried up the fat of these rich Provinces and that Germany which was so formidable to the whole world would not have since been seen so miserably torne in pieces if she had known how to keep her self in unity and concord Now this desirable Aurora had chased away the darknesse of the night this Peace had lulled asleep the better part of Europe and the War was retired towards the extremities or uttermost ends thereof as that at Sea between the Spaniards and the English The Low-countries the Academy of the Wars the Poles and the Swedes the Hungarians and the Turks But it was principally in the Low-Countries where it had fixed its Seate and Schoole It was I say in this little corner near the Sea amongst great Rivers and inaccessible Fennes and Marishes where it set up its Academy so to render the Discipline thereof immortall In effect great spirits not being able to live at home in sloth and idlenesse and inflamed with a laudable desire of making themselves famous in Arms for the acquisition of glory hastened thither from all parts there to make their Apprentisage and some following the humour of their Prince and others the interest of Religion ranged themselves on that side to which their zeal addicted them How because from the knowledge of the Revolutions of the precedent Age are drawne the truest causes and motives of the bloody and terrible Tiagedies which are yet a playing in this of ours we will reprize our Discourse from the head and having reached the source follow the brooks and rivers till we come into that Sea of calamities and miseries wherein we see poor Christians ingulfed at this day who cannot truly call themselves any more the Disciples of their Master Jesus Christ since they have exterminated Peace and brought confusion dissentions and disorders upon themselves It is therefore this abominable Age whereof the Scripture so clearely speaks This is that Kingdome of Iron which shivers and subdues all things The seven Angels have powred down their Vials upon the earth which is filled with blasphemy massacres injustices disloyalties and infinite other evills almost able to draw even the very Elect to murmuration We have seen and yet see Kingdome against Kingdome Nation against Nation Plagues Famines Earthquakes horrible Inundations signes in the Sun Moon and Starres anguishes afflictions of whole Nations through the tempests and noise of the Sea And whereas the Trees by thrusting forth their buds give us assurance of the approach of Summer in like manner will I be bold to say that since those things are come to passe which have been foretold us we ought not to make any difficulty to believe that the End is at hand and that the Son of man is coming in a Cloud with
not at all the death of his Mother Mary who was beheaded in England preferring the hope of succession to the said kingdom before revenge courting the favour of the Queen and treading all other considerations under foot But heaven left nothing unpunished which often revenges innocence upon the Innocent themselves to chastise them who have not revenged it He married Anne Sister to Christian King of Denmark and lived in peace which yet was disturbed by dreadful conspiracy of a certain Earle called Gore whose Father was beheaded in the end of the said Kings minority Now this Gore returning from travel sent his brother to the King as he was hunting whom when he had made believe that there was a certain man who had found a great pot full of gold he led him into his said brothers Cabinet or Closet where had he not been succoured by his followers he had been unhappily murthered The Tragedy was afterwards acted upon them who intended themselves to have been the actors thereof and the murtherers were justly murthered In this tragedy they who were curious found such mysteries as their modesty kept in silence The Scots are held good souldiers but they were never very fortunate against the English Ireland is an Island both big and fruitfull between Spain and England where the English have exercised great power and authority as well in respect of Religion as for the Rebellion of the Irish against Queen El'zabeth calling the Spaniards to help them But they grew at length to be conquered and have long been governed since by Deputies or Vice-Kings under a most austere Disciplipe which hath constrained some of them to flye to the main Land and others to retire themselves into the Woods and Forrests amongst the wild beasts to seek their liberty after their own fashion This Island was heretofore conquered by the Saxons and a long time after by the Norman under William the Conquerour Their lawes have some resemblance to those of Normandy and Guienne which they had some ages in their possession where the Eldest sonnes take almost all the succession of their Parents leaving but very little to their Brothers and Sisters A very rough Law and almost quire contrary to that of Poland where when the Eldest hath divided the said succession the younger takes the first Portion and after him the other so that the last of all is left to the Eldest The English are good Souldiers both by Sea and Land not in valour and courage inferiour to any one Nation whatsoever and are more apt to offend by temerity and overmuch forwardnesse then cowardise Inghilterra bona terra mala gente The Nobility is generally very courteous and chiefly such as have travelled England sayes a famous Italian is a good Country but the Inhabitants are very bad The English are little affected to other Nations and especially to the French from whom they have a great aversion nor can the French or Scots on the other side endure the incompatible humour of the English After they had lost what they possessed in France and all the intelligence they had there they fell for a long time to Civill Warres But since under the reign of four Kings and two Queens they have seen various persecutions not only about Religion but for matter of State too where of we will speak in the sequel of this History The women are incomparably beautifull and consequently have a great influence upon the men yea the Queens have commanded there more absolutely and have been much better obeyed and respected then the Kings They treat their servants and horses very roughly which gave birth to the Proverb That England is Heaven for Women Purgatory for servants and Hell for horses King James to smother the hatred and partiality which had alwayes been between the people of these Islands by laudable advice entituled himself King of great Britain The Title of King of France which was possessed by many Kings of England hath alwayes checked the Salick Law which excludes the Heyres Femall of France from the Crown so that though the English possessed almost the whole kingdom of France it was more by the right of Arms then by that of the Lawes and Customes Let us now leave Great Britain and look upon Italy where there are many Seates and Republicks whereof we shall make but little mention to shun superfluities and keep our selves within the limits prescribed in this History CHAP. VIII Of Italy Lorraine and Savoy POpe Clement the 8 th held the Chaire and by the prudent administration of him the Venetians and the Great Duke of Tuskany there flourished a Peace throughout all Italy Every one preserved himself within his own interests nor could any little jealousies take root to the loss of the publick Quiet but it was suddenly strangled in the Cradle by wise conduct and most subtile policy The Popes as well by donation as other practises have not onely augmented the Patrimony of St. Peter but drawn also all the Soveraign Authority to themselves by removing the Emperours from the knowledge of the Affaires of Italy The Faction of the Guelphes for the Popes the Gibelms for the Emperours reigned there long and was not consopited or quieted but by eclipsing almost the whole Majesty of Emperours by endeavouring to constrain them to receive the Crown from their hands A difference not quite extinguished yet Besides that they have ever been unhappy enough in pursuing their Right by Arms the Italians cutting them out work enough amongst themselves and often hindring their coming out of Germany so that all the splendour of the Empyre remaines there and is no otherwise known throughout almost all Italy then only by name Under the Reign of Valentinian the Western Empire was much tottered by the Barbarians which forced most of the principall Families near the Sea to retire into the Islands of the Adriatick Streights and there lay the Foundations of that most puissant City of Venice and of that most Serene Republick which hath encreased maintained and conserved herself these twelve ages by an unparallelled blessing by the most perfect observance of the Lawes and by a policy worthy of admiration This gives just cause to judge that they who began her were of the most elevated and prime of all Italy and not slaves as they were who laid the first stone to the Common-wealth of Rome In the Peace which was made between the Emperour Charlemayne and the Emperour of Constantinople it was concluded than that Common-wealth which had already stood more then three ages and a halfe should serve for a bound and gate to the two Empyres They had for a long time in their possession the kingdom of Gypres which the Turks have now taken from them They have had many enemies and have often by their great prudence diverted the storms which have been ready to fall upon them and by the dexterity of their mannagements regained that which they had lost by the fate of Arms.
discovered in his physiognomy that he should one day become the Author of much disturbance to Christendome which afterwards proved true For he caused the Duke of Orleans to be massacred which raised a huge warre between these two illustrious Houses to the great advancement of the English affaires in France But now for the remedy of all those evills a Peace was made and Duke John assassinated in a Conference in the presence of the Dolphin Now this dismal chance this unseasonable revenge and this mad Counsell was the cause why the English assisted by the Burgundians and Flemmings made themselves masters of almost all the kingdome of France For Philip surnamed the Good joyned with the English to revenge the death of his Father against Charles the seventh In fine there happening a civil warre in England between the Houses of Lancaster and York the White and Red Rose and Duke Philip drawing his stake out of the play the English came by degrees to loose all they had gotten in the said kingdome This good Prince instituted and established the Order of the Golden Fleece in the year 1430 and tyed so by succession all those Provinces into one body to which Charles the Combatant annexed the Duchy of Guelders sold to him by Duke Arnolt for the summe of 92 thousand Crowns The pretensions of the Duke of Juleers or Gulick were also granted by consent of the Emperour Frederick in consideration of the summe of eighty thousand Florens in gold He left one only Daughter named Mary of Valois who was a very vertuous Princess and was married to Maxmilian of Austria and her death proved fatall to the Low-countries in respect of the war which followed there Her sonne Philip having renewed his alliance with Henry the seventh went into Spain and married Iane of Castile who brought him Charles of Austria And thus these Provinces being bound first to the House of Burgundy and then to that of Austria came last into the possession of that of Spain which by the discovery and conquest of the Indies happening almost at the same time is become most puissant and terrible as well to other States and Princes as also to the Ottomans themselves who seeing the Romane Empyre governed by a Prince of this Family loaden with so many Crowns and so many potent States take no small pleasure in seeing so many Schismes amongst the Christians Charles being chosen Emperour had Francis the first for his Competitor which kindled great Warres between them The success whereof was that Francis being taken prisoner promised though he performed not to restore the Duchy of Burgundy and renounce the Rights which the Kings of France had had in some Provinces of the Low-countries land Italy so that the Heyres of Charles remained a long time in the quiet and peacefull possession of them France being enough embroyled at home by the tender youth of three Kings all sonnes to Henry the second and by Civill Warre without looking back into old quarrels The House of Austria encreased by Marriages and Navigation And here we may see how by marriages and Navigations the House of Austria is both amplified and elevated which hath maintained her self by arms given jealousies to the Princes of Europe by her victories and struck sear and hatred into the soules of the Protestants who have made Leagues to uphold themselves and put a flea into the eare of France which hath abandoned the interests of Religion to make her self great and check this formidable power From this Knot or Tye of so many Crowns and great States together wherewith the King of Spaines head is burthened sprang that ticklish and indissoluble difference of precedency or preheminency which the Kings of France by the title of Eldest sonnes of the Church and most Christian Kings have alwayes attributed to themselves CHAP. X A Relation of the mischiefs happened in France under the minority of the Kings and by the diversity of Religions The jealousie about the power of the Guilards The Evils in France through State-jealousie FRance by the deplorable death of Henry the second grew in a very short space to sink into calamities which dured to the end of the last Age. The evil began in the minority of Francis the second and under the Regency of Katharin de Medicis through a jealousie which thrust it self in amongst the Princes of the Blood the Constable Montmorency the Counts of Chattillon and Andelot Admiral Caspar de Colligny and other Lords on the one side and the Dukes of Guise the Princes of the House of Laâ—rraine and other Noblemen on the other The Princes complained of the Guisards or them of the House of Guise whom in mockery and to make them odious they termed strangers had the mannagement of all the Affaires of France in their hands They almost all embraced the Reformed Religion which at that time began to encrease much through the whole kingdome whereof they declared themselves Protectors The chief motive of hatred betwixt these two most illustrious and ancient Families grew from a jest which the Admiral de Colligny cast upon the Duke of Guise concerning the taking of Theonnille A prick of a Lance which drew such a deluge of blood as no Chirurgion was able to stench Hatred between these two Houses for a jest The greatest part of the Ecclesiasticks and the most zealous of the Romane Catholicks took the Party of the King and the Guisards Many Battails were fought many Siedges of Townes laid and many Peaces made and no sooner made then broken In fine under Charles the ninth at the Wedding of the King of Navarre at Paris upon the Eve of Saint Bartholomew hapned that abhominable Massacre so much and so justly exclained against by the Protestants and blamed even by the Romane Catholicks themselves In the Reign of Henry the third was made a League called the Holy League for the exclusion of Henry de Bourbon from succession to the Crown as being an Heretick whereof the Duke of Guise a Prince of courage and high esteem was the Head who having routed the Reyters or Germane Horse ented Paris in despight of the King where he was received by the Citizens with excess of honours and when the showes of joy were ended they raised certain Barricadoes which made the King retire himself to a place of safety A Fatall Honour to all subjects how innocent soever they be For redress of these disorders there was a Peace endeavoured betwixt the King and the Duke The place of Treaty was Blois where the King contrary to his Royal Word given him caused both him and the Cardinal his Brother to be treacherously murthered His Children were saved by the Queen-Mother for the King had resolved to extirpate the whole Race thereby to prevent the danger of revenge Paris revolted and in imitation thereof many other Townes besides The King applied himself to the Huguenot Party and sent for the King of Navarre which rendered him still more odious
of the Duke of Mayenne and the rest of the League with King Henry Albert resolved to make the united Provinces also feel the stroake of his Arms And so he presented himself before Ostend an Apple not yet ripe and afterwards before Hulet which after many Assaults he at length carried But the Marshall de Rosue had his Head taken off by a Canon Bullet and more then three thousand souldiers were also slaine The year following Prince Maurice had his revenge near Turnhawt where he cut off the Troops of the Count de Varax In the month of March of the same year Hernantello Governour of Dourlens like a Fox surprised Amiens by a stratagem to the great astonishment of all France and the King retook it like a Lion after six moneths siege He passed thither with strong forces and thought to have given a just retaliation to the Spaniards by surprising Arras but he was repulsed by the young Count of Buquoy who after wards rendred great and remarkable services to the Emperour as we shall shortly shew During the time of these changes the Pope forbore not to represent to the King the misfortunes and mischiefes which this long Warre brought upon Christendome and beseeched him to hearken to a good and firm Peace with the King of Spain especially being invited thereto by the disorders of his own kingdome and the fear of a new Revolt more dangerous then the former There was none but the Queen of England and the Confederated States who endeavoured by advantageous offers to divert him and keep him on horse-back Though yet he dissembled their reproaches and answered that the Queen was a gainer by this warre but for his part that his people was exhausted and that he received many and great dammages from the Spaniards who promised by this Peace to render all they had gotten in France That he was obliged as a good King and a good Father to solace and refresh his poor subjects So that all their offers and many more the Peace of Vervin 2598. were not able to hinder this holy work which was concluded and established at Vervin in the moneth of May 1598. The King of Spain also for his part was urged to make Peace as seeing himself crazed with age and having a young Prince and a Princesse his children to marry and Fortune very often against him Besides three enemies upon his back as France and the Confederated Provinces which threatened him with the utter losse of the Low-countries and England which either destroyed or spoyled his Fleets upon the Ocean endangered thereof the Indies and put him to great charges to secure it and lastly their taking of Cales the prime key of the kingdom and other Places Now by vertue of this Peace the places were restored But the pretentions which each of these Kings hath to some certain Demaynes of the other were not taken away From whence sprang the seed of new Warres which were one day to smoother the promises of arming no more even though there should be occasion for it The Peace was received by the poor people with such showes of joy and teares of tendernesse as cannot be comprehended but by such as have suffered and almost lost all The States in the mean while let not these occasions slip by the great distance of the Cardinals forces For Prince Maurice marched into the Field took Bergh Grol Oldenseel Lingen and some other places which progress purchased him the reputation of a very great Captain and of understanding the profession of the Militia as well as any man of his time After the publication of the Peace Philip the second by his Letters Patents dated at Madrid the 6 th of May 1598. conferred all the Low-countries together with the Duchy of Burgundy upon the Infanta Isabell his Daughter to which the Prince her Brother consented and confirmed it both by oath and writing upon condition that if the said Princesse came to die without children the said Provinces should return to the Dominion of Spain besides many other Clauses too long to recite Now forasmuch as the actions of great persons are examined and either approved or disapproved according to every ones passion this which I here note was not forgotten by the contrary party All things are profitable yea Lyes themselves provided they last four and twenty hours are of utility and advantage CHAP. XII The Areh-Duke goes into Spain and the Admirall into the Duchy of Cleveland The death of King Philip. His admirable Patience THe Allyes of both parties were invited to the Peace of Vervin but the Queen of England not being able to induce the States to it resolved to joyn with them in warre under conditions of more advantage to her then before This gave the Arch-Duke subject to complain of her for continuing a warre with so great stomack and grudge upon him by whom she had never been offended But he having now received the Procuration of the Infanta his Wife was acknowledged and received for Prince of the Low-countries and he wrote a Letter to the Confederated States but received no Answer The Arch-Duke goes into Spain He departed for Spain with the Prince of Orange and passed through Germany to conduct Queen Margaret of Austria nominating for Governour during his absence Cardinal Andrew and the Admirall of Arragon for Captain General who led a strong Army into Cleveland and Westphalia where he took Rinberg and many other small places and made his Winter-Quarter there notwithstanding the complaints of the Lower-Ceroles He sent La Bourlette to the Isle of Bommel took Crevecoeur laid siege to Bommel which he was forced to raise and so after he had built the Fort of St. Andrews he retreated into Brabant where his souldiers began to mutiny for want of pay The Ceroles had raised another Army which was disbanded for want of order some of them being for the Spaniards and the other for the States It is in vain to lead great forces into the Field without a good purse to maintain them and good counsell to encourage them The death of King Philip. King Philip lived not long after the conclusion of the Peace which he also wished both with the English and Hollanders as being desirous to die in Peace He was long tormented with a feaver and two impostumes and in fine his whole body was so wasted that it was pittiful to behold But more admirable was his patience to suffer all as he did without murmuring He commanded like a great Prince and died like a good Christian In the beginning of his Reign he was happy but in the decline of his age he saw the losse of one part of the Low-countries and received many other dammages from the English He was much blamed for not coming himself in person into Brabant and for proceeding too roughly with that people which had been so affectionaâ—e to the Emperour Charles and in fine for constituting two Generals over the Fleet surnamed The Invincible
had so much adoe to awaken In sine Whatsoever is profitable in matter of State seems lawfull But what we do our selves we ought not to condemn in others the Peace made 1506. The suspicion daily encreased and that chiefly because Count John of Ritsbergh was become a Roman Catholick But at last by the intercession of the King of England and the States-Generall the Peace was made at the Haghe in the year 1606 as also that of the Christians and Turks and all jealousies which could come from thence quite take off CHAP. XIV Of the Changes which happened in precedent Ages about matter of Religion and the motives of our Design drawn from these revolutions Luther writes against the Pope The Rebellion of the Peasants of Germany THe differences which have happened amongst Christians upon the diversity of Religions the distrusts which have sprung from thence as the fire from the flint and the reasons of State precious covers for manifest wickednesse have proved the cause of the greatest part of all our present mischiefes and languishments Therefore let us seek out the true root of it and leave passion to such as cannot receive any other impressions then those by which they are utterly blinded My purpose is not to dyve into questions of Divinity but only to search in History after the causes of so many alterations and so much hatred drawn from so holy and innocent a subject Pope Julius the second We will therefore begin with Pope Iulius the second who died in the year 1513. This Pope more carefull of the Temporall then of the Spiritual and more studious of propagating the Jurisdictions of the Church then the kingdom of God made an Allyance with the Emperour and the Kings of France and Spain to the utter ruine of the Venetians But he quickly changed his Cards forsook the Allyes reconciled himself with his enemies animated Henry the Eighth King of England against the French and Ferdinand against the King of Navarre whom he spoyled of his kingdom for refusing him passage He embroiles Europe He also dissolved the Allyance between the Emperour and the King of France and called the Swissers into Italy to drive the French out of the Milan In fine having sunk all Europe into inexplicable confusions and scandalized his Flock he made place for Leo the 10 th a man who loved rest and was lesse a souldier then Iulius of whom is written this great praise that he once cast some Keyes into the Tyber saying that St. Pauls Sword should have more power then the Arms of St. Peter The duty of a good shepherd is to keep his sheep in peace and feed them and not scatter them and send them to the shambles Whilest these warres lasted which ruined the Publick and Human Laws the Divine ones were also very ill kept The ignorance of the Prelates caused superstitions and their loose and vicious lives together with their great and vast possessions the hatred of the people The learned desired a redresse in the Ecclesiastical Policy as well as Peace required in the Secular Divorce which continues to this day with as little apparence of Reunion as there is of seeing the Rivers run back to their springs And it is that the Pope published a Iubily for the collection of monies to resist the Turk which was most necessary at that time But the impudence of a certain Monk called Teâ—zel exceeded so farre as to presume to sell the Indulgences or Pardons for the sinnes committed and to be committed I have horrour to recite this cheaâ—erie the companion of superstition ignorance and avarice and forthwith to draw soules out of Purgatory Martin Luther Martin Luther opposes Tyrzel Dector of Divinity at Witembergh and Monk of the Order of St. Austin briskly opposed this Impostor made a Thesis or General Position which he dedicated to the Pope himself to testify the will he had to relye upon his definition But through excess of indignation he passed the limits of Christian modesty and Catholick Truth Insomuch as that at length he grew to write against the Popes authority wherein he was impugned by a Divine called Eckins See Florimoud of Remond He is excommunicated Now Pope Leo desirous to quench this spark excommunicates Luther but that was to cast oyle into that fire and put poison to the wound For Martin raises his Batteries against him and calls him Antichrist which the Pope too much slighting applyed all his thoughts to warre Those enemies who are most despised are very often most hurtfull But the God of Peace drove him out of this world to make room for another more worthy and more vâ—â—tuous though lesse politick then he However Policie be a very convenient Science for such as govern great States and Empyres Pope Adrian the Preceptor or Tutor to Charles the 5. was born at Vâ—rick and promised to bring a wholesom Balsom to the diseases of Christendome For he had already elevated the hopes of the Good by abolishing Simony punishing sins against nature and not alienating the possessions of the Church But his too suddain death declared that God had otherwise disposed of him that his two Predecessors had too much embroyled the Flock that the sicknesse must have its course and that the Body was filled with too many bad humours to be cured by one single purge or one Blood-letting onely His doctrine in Saxony Now Luthers doctrine passed from Saxony into Sweden King Gustave and Frederick of Denmark being leagued together against Christian who deserted by his people was fled and they also forsook the Pope as well as their King and much ranged the authority of the Bishops of their kingdomes And as Luthers Doctrine grew to be received so diffidence and hatred grew equally up with it together with a desire also to maintaine it against all who endeavoured to suppress it There was besides another accident which very much troubled the Church and it was that Charles the Emperour and King Francis the first had very often entreated the Pope and Cardinals to call a General Councill for the reformation of abuses in the Church and Clergy But this song was little lesse unpleasant then the opposition of Luther And so these two Princes laying aside that care they being too nearly tyed to their own interests meditated nothing but warre upon each other Pope Clement successor to Adrian seeing the King of France prisoner made speedily a secret Allyance with his own subjects and almost all the Princes of Italy so to put a limit to the power of the Emperour who in revenge thereof abrogated his Authority in Spain surprised Rome and took him prisoner who was very ill treated by the Germans as being for the most part Lutherans Now these two Monarchs being the chief Pillars of Europe ought to have favoured a Reformation and hindred a separation But what The impiety of the people whets the sword of the Almighty who comes slowly to vengeance though
States to have the total administration of them This man being eminently ambitious hoped to come to be Pope by the recommendation of the Emperour The story of Câ—â—â—inaâ— Wollâ—y But seeing himselt frustrated of his expectation he turned his hate upon him whispered the King in the ear that his marriage with Katharine of Spain Aunt to the said Emperour was incestuous because she had formerly been married to his Brother O! How great is the wickednesse of such as have for saken God to serve their ambition and revenge This Prelate who ought to have framed the reformation of abuses and opposed Heresies since himself held for such all the Doctrines which checked the Pope was not content with so much honour and wealth as he enjoyed without seeing the Emperour thrown down and buried under the very ruins of that Church the Religion whereof he professed with so great Majesty and under the Purple of so great luster The King intangled in love with a young Lady newly come from the Court of France and disgusted with the Embracements of that most veâ—â—â—ous Princess his Wife was glad of this scruple and sollicited the Pope to grant him a Divorcement upon the aforementioned reason But the Pope temporizes and sends in sine his Legat to examin the matter The King and the Legat sir the Queen being summoned appears and in presence of the chief of the Kingdom makes a Speech in Latin to the King which is able to move a very rock to compassion How is it possible Sir sayes she that after having lived almost twenty yeares together in great concord and having had so many children as we have had it should now come into your thought to repudiate me Your Brother Arthur fell sick the very first day of our marriage and some dayes after dyed I take the great God and your conscience to witness that you found me a Virgin And if you are resolved to separate me from your Bed expect at least so long as till I may have advertised my Nephew Charles thereof to the end that I may know how to behave my self in this affliction since I can hope for no support in the equity of my cause here where you are Absolute King If I have offended God since I have been your wife it has been in being a little too curious to please you Ah Vertue This is not the first time that thy adversary endeavours to suppress thee Thy luster is too bright not to dâ—â—le the eyes of the wicked This poor Princesse in this tribulation had this imperfection that in regard Nature had been sparing to her of her rich gifts of beauty she had had recourse to innocent Art thereby to draw her Husband from the levities to which he was too much inclined as well by his own naturall Passion as by the attractive Charms of his fair subjects Her Speech being ended which produced but faint pitty in the soul of the King and some of the Auditory she retired her self together with her Daughter into a private House where the spake thus to this ambitious Cardinal who came to her in behalf of the King to intreat her to yeeld to his will It is thou said she O wicked and disloyal Minister who returnestâ—â—s this recompence To my Nephew for not advancing thee to the Holy Chayre and to me for not being able to suffer thy impudicity and naâ—ghtâ—â—esse The King divorced himself from the Church of Rome because the Pope would not condescend to his demand and from his Wife by whom he had alwayes been so respectfully loved to conjoyn in publick marriage with Anne of Bolein The King leaves his Wife an I the Church of Rome The Cardinal died in the year 1530 being not long before deprived of all his employments and fallen from the favour of his Prince which he had preferred before that of his God as he restified by these words full of christian and holy repentance which issued our of his dying mouth Ah! I would to God said he I had taken so much pains to serve my Creatour as I have done to serve my Prince He put into the Letanies From the tyranny of the Pope good Lord deliver us whose authority was abrogated thorowout the whole kingdome and the King by Act of Parliament declared Head of the Church of England He seized upon the possessions of the Church by the advice of Cromwell and some others who all ended their dayes unhappily Takes away the possessions of the Clergy He also bestowed part thereof upon the nobility for fear of commotion He hanged such as refused to subscribe that he was Head of the Church as aforesaid and condemned the protestants to the fire In fine after having crushed the Church and lived like a tyrant he died miserable and little regretted by his people Sir Thomas More that great Heroe fell under the rigour of his command and so did an infinite number of other noble persons Luther seeing him in ill tearms with the Pope and encouraged by the King of Denmark very humbly beseeched him Luther writes to the King and receives an affront by a letter which he wrote to him to embrace the doctrine of the Gospel but he received such an answer as he little expected namely that he should forsake his apostacie and his wife and return to his Monastery Now the Church of Rome seeing her head disclaimed and his authority banished out of England felt her self much shaken as well by Peter Martyr as orther Protestant ministers in such sort as that Edward Edward establishes the Protestant Religion son to the said Henry having taken the reines of the English Monarchie had no great trouble to throw her quite our and fixe the Protestant But he dying very young and Queen Mary succeeding him she had an intention to pluck up this tender plant and re-establisheth the old doctrin which yet could not recover its full strength before it was exterminated again Young trees by being re-planted get vigour but old ones wither and dye CHAP. XVI Queen Elizabeth banishes the Romane Catholike Religion again by degrees That of the Protestants passes into Scotland under the bastard Murrey who swayes the Scepter It is called the Congregation and is fortified by the above said Queen and the Hugenots of France QUeen Elizabeth who during the life of her sister Mary feigned her self a Roman Catholike and was like to lose her life by giving some suspicions of her being a Protestant being raised to the royall Throne forthwith unmasqued her self and began to treat of the meanes how to annull the one and revoke the other which was easie to be accomplished For the ignorance of the Priests was great the desire of their possessions greater and the curiosity to check a Religion full of ceremonies which few could solidly defend greatest of all It was represented to the People both here and elsewhere that the doctrine was falsified and in no wise congruous with that of the
German Doctor Luther and Calvin whom we have so often mentioned and a French one likewise who first preached against those said superstitions and then ventured to set up their Standards against the Church her self with so universal applause that in a few years even whole kingdomes grew to separate themselves from the communion of that Body which acknowledged the Pope for the Supreme Vicar of Iesus Christ The Iesuits oppose Now at the same time as we have formerly shewed sprang the Iesuits and armed themselves to quell these valiant souldiers who skipped out of their holes so openly to attack a power which all the States of Christendom held in so much veneration They stopped the course of this Torrent which neither Fire Persecutious nor strict Prohibitions were able to effect and they have united to the Body a good part of those people which had untyed themselves from it It is not by fire but by force of Doctrine and not by words but by exemplary life that a remedy must be put to all these disorders which happens amongst Christians Now this Society could not but meet with meet with envy enough amongst the Clergy which felt it self so reprehended and pricked by such new men For Admonitions and in structions how necessary and profitable soever they be leave not to imprint some harshnesse upon the soul of the receivers An exact Captain is displeasing to lazy souldiers Violent remedies served for nothing In fine recourse was had to such violent remedies as so sharpened and stung the parts affected that there will never be meanes to introduce a reconciliation unless perhaps it fall out to be by ways full of suavity and charity For interest took this powerful occasion so fast by his fore-lock and these Divisions are grown so firmly rooted that it is probable they will not finish but with the world And this is the principall source of the evils which we have seen and yet daily see happen to the grief of all good men in this last Age. And thus we have shewed about what when for what reasons and by whom began these Reformations Nor must we wonder at the monstrous effects since they could not be more noble then their Causes If we would reflect often upon it we should find Ministers and instruments enough thereof The holy Scripture sayes that there must be scandals but cursed be they who shall give them THE HISTORY OF THIS IRON AGE THE SECOND BOOK CHAP. I The Queen of England and the States of Holland refuse Peace King Henry of France polishes his Kingdome and makes War against the Duke of Savoy THE Peace of Vervin filled with joy not only the subjects of the Kings but also all such as acknowledged the See of Rome The Protestants invited to the said Peace by Henry the Great shut their eares to the Propositions and studied only how to make most streight Allyances for their preservation Where Diffidence gets the mastery Reason is not understood unlesse it be ushered in by strong and irrefutable assurance It was impossible for the Arch-Duke Albert to bring the States to a very advantageous Peace as the Ministers said for them since the arguments of King Henry could obtain nothing from them For his offers were as stints out of which they drew sire to kindle the warre with so much the greater animosity They sent their Embassadours into England Elizabeth and the states refuse Peace where they sound the Queen most disposed to receive theirs so that it was most facil to draw her to their opinion In the mean while the Arch-Duke receives a Procuration from the Infanta his future Spouse in vertue whereof he was generally and solemnly received and nominatively at Antwerp where the oath of sidelity was payd him by the Deputies of the obedient Provinces Albert goes into Spain 1598. And so he went into Spain but before his departure he signified to the confederated States that he went to marry the Infanta and that he had the Low-conntries for Portion with her and was already acknowledged Lord thereof Therefore he conjured them to associate themselves to the other Provinces in respect that the King had divided them from his other Demaines and that thus all distrusts being taken away he withed nothing more then to see that Body entire and in peace under his Government But all in vain For Religion and liberty were too charming subjects to be abandoned and they who are growne to be Masters abhorre to fall back into forvitude He began his journey in the moneth of September in the yeer 1598 leaving Cardinal Andrew his cosin for his Licutenant and sent his army towards the Rheyn which at his return he found full of confusion and revolt for want of pay He was received in all places where he passed together with the Princess Margaret of Austria spouse of Philip the third whom he conducted in his company with honours due to the greatnes of their quality He stayed not in Spain but as soon as he had married the Princesse Clara Eugenia The King of France repolisheth his Kingdome he brought her into the Low Countries and they made their entry into Brussels in the moneth of September 1599. He brings the Infanta 1599. King Henry of France having given his subjects a peace made it all his care to repolish his kingdom much depraved by the prolixity of the civil warrs to revive the laws strucken dumb by the licentiousness of the souldiers to place good order every where and in fine to establish two Religions in very good union aswel for his own service as for the repose of his people Whereas King Philip on the other side in his would have but one But some persons of very great experience have conceived that if he had embraced the same Maxime he might have preserved the seventeen Provinces though others have beleeved that he would rather have lost them all as being too far distant from them and consequently unable to accommodate himself to all occurrences which required a diversity of temperaments But this Prince namely Henry had been educated in the reformed Religion and so knew the humours the forces of that party not to be contemptible He was Son to Anthony of Bourbon who was slain at the siege of Roüen The Prince of Conde being slain in the battell of Jarnac and the Admiral remaining Generall of the Hughenot army he advised them to nominate for their Generall Henry of Bourbon a young Lord who had ever defended their party and so he being turned Catholick and upon that made King of France had alwayes a particular care to uphold them as a people from which he had received great services But there was very great danger of taking from them that which had been promised them by so many Proclamations or Edicts nor did they indeed forbear to cry up their services and bragg that it was they onely who put the Crown upon his head Henry the 3.
mute and the intercession of the Nuncio proved fruitlesse the Arch-Duke being resolute and they re-inforcing themselves with men and mony by the near neighbourhood of the consederated Provinces Now these Revolts gave advantage to the States and meanes to go in execution through all the Country of Luxembergh and such as refused contribution had the grief of seeing their house set on fire This Cavelcada or Inroade was finished in lesse then a moneth and without any resistance at all During these interludes the Mutiners governed themselves in form of a Republick observing a most exact discipline and amongst other Lawes forbidding Cards and Dice They were besieged in Hoochstrade Are besieged and succoured by Prince Maurice and succoured by the Prince upon certain conditions which done he returned again before Boisleduc But this Conquest was reserved for his Brother as we shall hereafter shew The Arch-Duke notwithstanding so many inconveniences mutinies vexations and losses stood as firm and immoveable as a Rock against the greatest stormes before Ostend though to his no small displeasure saw it often relieved And Prince Maurice not yet satiated with so many victories both by Sea and Land resolved to vanquish his contumacie by a more sensible diversion The expences of this siege could not choose but be great but the people liberally consented without grudging So pleasant is victory how dear soever bought Money The arrivall of Marquis Ambrose Spinola with the Golden Fleece was a Spinola came into Flanders with mony wholesome Balsom to cure the disease of the mutinied Squadron for it made them return to the Arch-Dukes service and hastened the rendition of the Town by the order of continuall mining which was given by the said Marquis The Prince in the interim was not asleep for he departed in the moneth of April with a huge number of Boats took many Forts besides the Towns of Isendike and Ardenbergh and incamped himself before the renowned Town of Sluce Sluce taken by famine which with some Gallies was rendred three moneths after by famine though Spinola acted all the parts which could be invented by the most subtle wit and used all the force which the most valiant and resolute souldier could manifest to relieve the besieged But his enemies were too well intrenched and his provident Rivall kept himself too much upon his guard Ostend taken 1604. The taking of Ostend 1604 followed close upon the heels of that of Sluce and the composition made by the besieged was very honourable There marched out of divers nations about three thousand men the number of the dead as well on the one side as the other surpassed the beleif of man and the issue of this siege kept all the power of Europe in suspense This Age which was to be all Iron fire blood and slaughter This Age I say which was to be the totall ruine of Christendome together with that of Faith and Charity could not begin better then by such a siege This was the most famous Schoole of warre that ever was before as where all the Martial Spirits resorted to learn Discipline and to put it in practice as they have done since in their own Countries The French the English the Germans and the Scots The Siege lasted above three years together with the Hollanders defended this place about three yeers through the advantages and commodities afforded them by the Sea The Spaniards Italians Walloons Burgundians and other Germans attacked it with all the force and industry the greatest courages were able to invent All such as were not present at this bloody exercise but remained mute at home at the noise of so much blood-shed expected the dubious issue of so hazardous a siege upon which the Monarchy of the whole world seemed to depend Yea even the Great Turk himself ravished with joy by the ruine of the Christians was not a little glad to see such an obstinate resolution on both sides Let us here take notice of the Divine Providence which like another Jupiter laughs at the folly of Mortalls who like other Gyants will needs make themselves masters of all and endeavour to outbrave the very Elements themselves The fiercest enemies to mankind are War Plague and other Infirmities The Reward of victory a morsell of earth and houses buried under their own foundations And now if courage and generosity egged on many to this certainly pitty moved infinitely more there to bewayle their friends buried under the ruines of this second Troy and view a little piece of ground which had cost so much pains so much sweat so much time so much blood and so much mony All the industry of man was set on work there on both sides and the Arch-Duke and Arch-Dutches had both the trouble and the charge of repairing this place and putting it into that state wherein we now see it Necessity caused this siege at first judged easie to be begun Reputation to be continued and power in despight of interest by the industry and valour of Spinola brought it to an end CHAP. V Peace between the Spaniard and the English King Henry of France re-eshablishes the Jesuits Father Cotton hurt Warre about the Rhein Peace made between the Kings of Spain and England 1604. THe Spaniards having sufficiently tried the great hurt done them by the English during the life of Queen Elizabeth as well in Spain it self as by Sea and in the Low-countries yea and at the Siege of Ostend also and finding that all satisfaction endeavored to procure from them either in Ireland or England had not any kind of good successe began to think that a peace with these insulary people would prove necessary for the State Nor had they much trouble to obtain it King James being easily inclined to it by some certain jealousie which had taken root in his soul The Arch-Duke and his Dutchesse were comprehended in it and it was concluded the very same day that the Garrison went out of Ostend France through the enjoyment of seven yeares peace was so well restored that there seemed not to have been any warre in more then half an age before King Henry being a great husband of his Finances or Exchequer made a journy to Metz where two Jesuits cast themselves at his feet beseeching him with a very elegant speech to vouchsafe to re-establish them through all the kingdome The Parliament of Paris and the Sorbon opposed them but the King by special grace admitted them The Jesuits re-established in France and demolished the Pyramide which had been erected against them for that one of their Schollars had hurt the King in the mouth And the Mines which the Hughenots sprung against their Society were either discovered or despised At least they wrought no effect But Father Cotton going once to the King was attacked in the Loüure by a great number of Lackies Father Cotton hurt by Lackies at the Lonure who after many quipps and scoffes very dangerously wounded him
and would have killed him if a Count had not hastened to the stirre and taken him out of their bands His Majesty seemed much displeased herear and all issued to the confusion of the one and the glory of the other The year following Prince Maurice had an enterprise upon the Dike of Antwerp from whence he retyred with remarkable losse before the Castle of Wowde which he took by capitulation The Arch-Duke on the other side disgusted at the losse of Sluce and desiring to keep Flanders free from contribution sent Spinela to the said place whose credit was already much augmented amongst his enemies as well as amongst them of the Spanish party But Maurice having prevented him and put all things in good order he found himself fain to seek the same way which the Count de Bucquoy had taken with a flying Camp towards the Rhein which he passed and took Oldenzeel and Lingen and if he had prosecuted his business with the same ardor and promptitude wherewith he began it was very probable he might have seased upon Coeverden Groening yea Embden it self and so have taken footing in Freezland Warre about the Rhein in regard that he would have found no great resstance for want of men especially coming upon an exploit both unforeseen and unexpected There was yet another very dangerous encounter towards the Rhem where Prince Henry had incurred great hazard of being killed or taken if he had not been seconded by his Brother wherein he was more happy then in the enterprise of Guelders The Designes upon Grave and Bergh upon Zoom were hurtfull to the undertakers and served for an advertisement to them upon whom they were practised to keep themselves upon their guard The Count de Buequoy quickly brake the garrisons of Wotchtendone and Cracaw and so winter was as a trumpet which sounded a retreat to both armies The morning is never so fair but that there appears some cloud upon the Horizon before the day be quite spent France is never so well at rest but that there is some stir either in one corner or other or in the middle For they are people of a fiery spirit and enemies to quiet The conspiracy which was discovered in Provence at that time and the author whereof was a gentleman of that Country who was appreheded at Paris together with the Secretary to the Spanish Embassador caused the the said Embassadour to complaine and reproach that the Peace was not well kept to which the King answered by other objections which were the seeds of the contrariety since between these two nations who yet by different wayes seem to have both but one object for their end The birch of Philip the fourth King of Spaine theâ—â— of April This very yeer 1605 upon the 8 th of April was born Philip the 4 th who holds the Spanish Monarchie at this day And the same year died Pope Clement the 8 th and Theodore Beza and the year following Justus Lipsins Professour of the University of Lovain CHAP. VI The difference which happened between Pope Paul the fifth and the Republick of Venice and why The peace made The Duke of Brunswick endeavours to take the Town The King of Denmark goes into England The continuation of the wars in the Low-Countries VVHiles the war was thus hot in the Low-Countries there happened a spark of division in Italy between the Pope and the Venetians which if neglected might have caused an emborasment no lesse perilous then that the one namely the Romane Catholicks ministring all kindes of means and reasons to quench it and the Reformates all sorts of invention to kindle it The knot of the controversie was that the said Republick had made a Law prohibiting all the Ecclesiasticall persons to buy or receive by Will or Testament any immovable goods or other inheritances This Order being ill taken at Rome caused a Bull which was published against the said Republick with the thunderbolt of excommunication in case it were not revoked within the tearm of four and twenty dayes interdicting the Priests to say Masse The difference between the Pope and the Venetians under paine of the same excommunication The Senate protests against it and so from words to blows Italy was instantly in armes The King of Spaine ofters assistance to the Pope and Henry the fourth as much but under condition that he being eldest son of the Church his Holinesse would receive no ayde from any other but himself This proposition together with the information which he had that the King of England and the Hollanders enemies to the holy See had presented all kind of help to the Venetians and being also moved by his own prudent goodnesse and the evident danger to which the Catholick States would be exposed caused him to hearken to the perswations of the two Kings and take off the excommunication whereby the businesse was appeased Taken away by the intercession of the two Kings and all the Ecclesiasticks who were gone out of the City during this fogg had leave to return except onely the Jesuites who carried the whole burthen and were banithed for perpetuity The Jesuites banished out of the Common-wealth of Venice nor have all the intercessions and addresses which have since been made in favour of them by the King of France and many other Potentates served for any thing but to renew the said order of banishment against them The Protestants their capitall enemies have not failed to serve themselves of this occasion as also of many other to cry them down every where by accusing them of some conspiracies against the said Common-wealth whereof yet there is no clear mention made at all For they make profession to be forbidden by their rule to meddle with State business But a good Game good Gaine They are not without fellowes for England furnishes them likewise with matter enough Now these animosities being appeased there returned a calm to all Italy which we will now leave to come back into Germany and Holland For here it is that men are alwayes in action both by Sea and Land whilest the rust of Christendom are at rest It is true that the Duke of Brunswick seeing Spinola with a great army neer Lingen took a pretext to raise one to but it was in effect to attack the chief town of the Dutchy An attempt upon Brunswick His forces seized upon one of the gates and the wall without much trouble but they weakly desended those advantages which they had gotten and so were shamefully beaten oft He besieged the town twice but the Emperour interposing his authority all was quickly accommodated Enterprines never snoceed well but by the courage of the under takers The King of Denmark goes into England The King of Denmark went to see his brother inlaw King James and his sister where having been regaled the space of a moneth he returned toward his own Kingdom not without admiring the pomp and magnificence of the English
heard or at least requited with excusing the necessity of times and affaires For the sea was too much agitated by the windes and hatred of them who would have this potent house in obedience to the feeble commands of this * The Vnited Provinces living by the windes and waters Aeolus In brief they who spake to the States of peace were as welcome at the Haghe as they were at Venice who spake for the Jesuites notwithstanding their propositions were just and equitable and could not be rejected but upon meer distrust But what is impossible to man is facil to God and all fruit growes ripe in time Let us now see the reasons of this resistance The States could not imagine that the King of Spaine would ever renounce the Soverainty of so many and so illustrious Provinces and again they who were become Masters had lost the will of returning to obedience They were grown powerfull by the allyances of France and England by the trafique of the Indies by the picoryes or spoiles which they had made upon Spain and the obedient Provinces with which they offered to make an agreement and allyance by excluding the King and his heirs but by no means with his Majesty whereto the other could not listen as to a thing impossible and shamefull and which checked the oath of fidelity which they had taken The summons which the Infanta gave them of her arrivall at Brussels moved them not at all either to acknowledge her for Lady or induce them to peace or truce In fine in the yeer 1607. Great storms at Ester 1607. memorable for the great storms which happened throughout all the Low-Countries towards Easter this resistance began by little and little to grow warm and this ice to thaw For they opened their ears to the charming perswasions of that worthy Prelate and their hearts to the great successes of Spinola who surpassed or equaled all his Predecessors in military science So that the reverent father Iohn May Provincial of the order of the Franciscan Friers was a worthy instrument of this holy work who by his infatigable care and most painfull journeys sometimes from Brussels to the Haghe and sometimes from thence into Spaine by Brussels brought the two parties to a truce of seven moneths which grew afterwards to be prolonged CHAP. VIII The defeat of the Spanish Armada The Design upon Sluce failed A continuance of the Treaty Spinola arrives at the Hague The Treaty again broken was renewed at Antwerp where the Truce was made for twelve years The Flect beaten at Gibelaltar DUring these goings and comings to and fro Admiral Heemskerk went to attack the Spanish Fleet designed for the Indies which he defeated in the Streights of Gibelaltar to the great amazement of the Spaniards to see that people which they had so often beaten and so often despised come to assault them even in Spain it self a strange quipp of Fortune Times have their turns And so the first fruit which Spain tasted of a Cessation of Arms was the calling home of the Ships of the said Common-wealth which much incommodated her Costs and lay as snares to snap the Gallions coming from the Indies with some whereof they very often met slighting the danger for the advantage of the booty The enter prise upon Sluce failed for want of courage But before we sheathe our sword and hang it upon the naile let us speak a word of that memorable Enterprise upon the Town of Sluce which was in the year 1606. The Spaniards being advertised by two souldiers of the State of the Garrison of the Gates and of the Wall of the aforesaid Town sent three thousand six hundred men with that renowned French Gentleman Du Terrail who was since beheaded at Geneva for having but so much as thought of an Enterprise upon the City Now this valiant Cavallier had promised the Arch-Duke either to deliver him the place or die in the Attempt And so he marched with his Troops through the Drowned Lands without being discovered approached the Town set three * An Engine to force Gares Petards on work about the Gate the last whereof got it open but the hearts of the souldiers grew so cold that they durst not venter in Never was there an Enterprise of importance more easie to be effected without either danger or resistance and never was there any which more loosely fayled for want of courage and good command so that it proves most true that a Coward can never do a good action Du Terrail not having authority enough to animate these Cowards to enter the Town was constrained to retyre with them and ask leave to withdraw himself from them to a Nation which never failed in any occasion for want of courage as being more apt to offend in the other extreme Besides that danger urged him away in respect of the execution of three Captains who paid the score dear enough for all the rest Thus God disposes of all things contrary to the expectation of man Let us now come back to the begun Treaty The arrivall of the Arch-Dukes Depaties at the Hague Spinola Richardot Mamicidor Father Iohn Nay and the rest of the Deputies arrived at the Hague and were received there with many complements and tieated according to the dignity both of their employments and their persons and chiefly at the Court The Prince and the Lords of prime quality went to meet them at Riswick where after the ceremonies were performed the Marquis went into the Princes Coach A strange Metamorphosis to see the two chief Captains of the world most bitter enemies a litle before court one another now with true respect and draw the eyes of the people to admire thew Persons of honour and glory may be hated by the wicked but vertue never Now because it is not my design nor can this History permit me to particularize all along upon what passed in this illustrious Assembly I will content my self with saying that the demand of the said Embassadours concerning the forbearance of Traffick to the Great * America Indies and the reduction of the exercise of the Roman Catholick Faith had almost broaken off this Treaty In effect some advices from other parts and the retardment of the Provinciall aforesaid in Spain moved the States to sen forth a Protestation containing their finall intention And the Embassadours of the Princes who were Mediatours between them counselled the States to hearken at least to a Truce since there was yet no room for Peace They retire But they sticking fast to their resolution and the Embassadours of Spain likewise persisting within the limits of their Commissions there was no means at all to make them joyn or come to a conclusive Definition And so in fine they parted from the Haghe not without Protestations on both sides of the sincerity of their intentions for the good issue of the said Treaty each casting the fault upon the other But after their
departure the States were advised by the Kings of England and France with both whom they had made a most streight Allyauce for the maintaining of the Peace in case it were concluded to renew the Treaty of a Truce And to this effect it was again taken into deliberation by the said Embassadours at Antwerp in the moneth of March The Treaty renewed at Antwerp whether the States likewise sent their Deputies namely Count William of Naffaw and the Lord of Brederode the â—5 of the same moneth and they concluded a Truce for twelve yeares upon the ninth of April 1609 which caused great rejoycing every where as well amongst the Neighbours as the Parties themselves concerned Truce made and the Embassadours were regaled and honoured with great presents During this Treaty many libels were made and dispersed some with reasons to countermine this sweet Peace and others to advance it Birds of mischief seck the dark and like Owlas blame the light as hurtfull and discovering their actions And so their fluttering was despised And here we see the end of this war for a while which sprung up at the beginning of the reign of King Philip the second and that upon divers pretexts as namely that of liberty of conscience and priviledges and under various Governours of different humours fomented by ambition Religion and diffidence under the Princess of Parma the Duke of Alva Don Lewis Don Iohn of Austria on the one side and Prince William and the States-Generall on the other the latter whereof made a strong union amongst themselves at Vtrick the Articles of which namely for the free exercise of the Roman Catholick Religion have been much altered They formed their Common-Wealth under the Arch-Duke Matthias and the Duke of Alanson under the Prince of Parma they begged the assistance of the King of France and the Queen of England They continued the Warre with much success against Count Mansfeld and Cardinall Andrew They repaired what was amiss in their Republick by the factions which arose under the Earl of Leicester They valiantly defended themselves against the Arch-Duke Albert and the Brave Spinola even till the very publication of the Truce We will now stay awhile and repose our selves in the rest of the Low-countries which we so much desired as being the part where the War was so long time carried on with so much expense and no lesse industry then good discipline though it were often disturbed by the frequent mutinies of the Spaniards for want of pay from whence the Confederares knew how to draw most considerable advantages CHAP. IX The State of France The King goes to Sedan Troubles in Austria and Bohemia A Conjuration discovered in Spain and the Mores banished thence THe hast we had to see an interruption of the misfortunes wherewith the Belgick * The Low-countries Lion had been tormented above fifty years together and his roaring heard throughout the whole Universe to the astonishment of all the greatest States of the world made us slight the reasons of them who partly out of hatred to the House of Austria and partly for the Roman Catholick Faith the utter abolition whereof they passionately desired endeavoured to hinder the Truce We will therefore turn back a little towards France which flourished now as if there had never been any warres at all Courtesie the essential vertue of that Nation together with the Beauty Bounty and Fertility of this kingdome founded upon most excellent Lawes fine Sciences and laudable Exercises attracted the Nobility of all Europe thither as to a School of vertue and glory In effect there was no remarkable Commotion able to give any apprehension or disturbance to the Publick Rest For the Warre of Savoy and the conspiracy of the Marshall Biron were almost as foon smoothered as known It was a kind of Terrestrial Paradise where they who were enemies about the difference of Doctrines lived in friendship by the authority of their Master who maintained peace both abroad The death of Charles Duke of Lorraine and at home Charles Duke of Lorraine a Prince loaden with age adorned with singular vertue and piety lest his Sonne Henry his Heyre to retire himself to the Coelestiall lerusalem in the yeare 1608. The King of France goes to Sedan with an Army In brief the fruits of Peace were most delicious when the King suddenly raised a great Army and conducted it to Sedan For there were some misunderstandings between him and the Duke of Boüillon which were taken away by the intercession of the forrain Embassadours However this Cavalcada gave no small jealousie to the Spaniards who found themselves obliged thereby to put strong Garrisons through all the country of Luxemburgh and the Confederates reaped great profit from it For it made men believe that it was but a fiction or rather a prelude of that huge preparation which we shall shortly relate However much talke there was of it and great indagation into the reasons thereof by men of curiosity The Duke of Boüillon feeling the pulse of the Protestant Princes his neighbours judged it not necessary to draw blood yet and that which was differred shall be found in sit time LEWIS THE XIIII KING OF FRANCE AND NAVARR Now these divisions between Brothers and Cousin-Germans of the same House were taken by such as meddle not a little to pick out the actions thereof but for artifices or tricks and men said it was the only right way to preserve Hungary Moravia Bohemia and other Provinces depending upon the said kingdome from falling into the hazard of a new Election A conjecture grounded upon probabilities of consideration enough Spain in the mean while looked not only upon the troubles of the Low-countries and means to bring them to an end but she had likewise a particular care to steer her Indian Fleets into a good Port For as for the rest there had in some years passed nothing which could disturb the tranquility of that kingdom But in the year 1609. there was discovered a Conjuration which had it taken effect would have involved it in a totall ruin supplanted Christian Religion and reduced the King to fly for Sanctuary elsewhere But the greatest storms are those which often do least hurt and are diverted by slight causes Yea a gentle rain often allayes the most furious windes The Mores implored the assistance of the Grand Signior The Conjuration of the Mores discovered in Spain and other Mahometan Princes the Doctrine of whom they followed in effect though in apparence Christians and they had also for a long time been heaping up Arms and with the slight succour of twenty thousand men they being already at the least a hundred thousand in Spain combatants they promised themselves to bring all Spain under their subjection But being detected They are banished into Africa the King of France having refused them his ayde they were all embarked in the kingdom of Valencia and transported into Barbary by the Kings
strong salves and fresh bleedings King Charles of Sweden having crowned himself and renewed the War in Livonie made use of this intestine sedition Sigismund made a brisk opposition as well to him as to the Swedes and Muscovites also whose Empire was then full of factions The siege of Smolensko He besieged Smolensko and after two years siege carried it This was a second Ostend if we consider the length of the siege and the number of the dead which if those authors who gave us the description thereof be worthy of credit amounted to more then twenty thousand men There was another Polish Army imployed to force the head City called Mosco whilest the rest of the Troops got huge victories and took the Yown of Novogrode and the great Duke Suiskie together with his two Brothers prisoners The the great Cham of Tartarie astonished at so many high Victories offered to submit himself to the King of Poland But Sigismond returned and the confederated Muscovites to be payd their Arreares followed him and being satisfied they were a further meanes to get yet more Victories The Muscovites rejell Uladislaus upon the adverse Party In fine the Muscovites tyred and vexed by a forraigne Rule rejecting Vladeslaus whom they had formerly chosen elected a new Emperour and endeavoured to compose their difference with Sigismund but in vain for they were chased away from before Smolensko and payed for their perfidie Now the King of great Britaine being the spectatour and very often the Arbitratour of the Controversies of his Neighbours lived in peace and his subjects of the Romane Catholik Profession were reduced to some discresse upon the discovery of that abominable conspiracy The son in England discovered against him his children and the whole Parliament For it seemed not enough to extend the punishment upon the guilty who received it according to their mâ—rit but all the whole body of them also mast be made feel it It was then that the doctrine of the Iesuites was carped and reviled and their Order brought into horrour through the whole Island as it was in France upon the death of Henry the great though yet they could not be convinced of having any hand in that as they evidently were in this But what shall we say of the English Puritans whom King Iames himself accused of having attempted to stifle him in his Mothers womb I know there are also some who make the Iesuites the cause of the Tragicall death of King Charles so great an aversion hath the contrary party from this Society I neither accuse nor excuse any but onely make a plaine and simple relation of what is passed and blame the rash judgement of such as are too passionate Whilest other Kings were in extream jealousie of their interests King Iames amuses himself with playing the Philosopher and the Divine by composing books of controversies against Cardinall Perronn and Monsieur de Coeffetean Bishop of Marseilles And since he had no warr with any body else he raised one against the Puritans and the Iesuites as making declamations against them both and their Doctrine which he said was most pernicious to the Potentates of Europe Take heed my son sayes he in his Book intitled the Roy all Present of these Puritans meer Plagues both in the Church and state a race not to be obliged by any benefit nor tied by any Oath or promise breathing nothing but seditions and calumnies And a little lower You will not finde amongst any High-way Robbers more ingratitude or more lyes and perjuries then amongst these Fanatick Spirits c. The Duke of Savoy demanded his Daughter Elizabeth for his eldest Son and offered him his for the Prince of Wales but in regard of the difference of Religions it was honourably refused Fate had reserved this Princesse for Prince Frederick Palatine of the Rheyn who arriving in England Frederick Prince Palatine marries Elizabeth Princesse of England married her and carried her to the Palatinat through Holland where they were received and regaled all along their passage being accompanied by Prince Maurice as far as Colein 1614. The never sufficiently lamented death of Henry the great one of the bravest Princes that ever wore the Crown of France was like to put Paris and all France into great tumults for the prevention whereof the Queen-Mother was declared Regent of the Kingdome and Lewis the thirteenth succeeded him at the age of nine yeers being consecrated at Rheims and all this great preparation for war was dissipated either because the Kings design was not known or else to say better because it could not be executed except the reserve of ten thousand men who were sent into the Dutchy of Gulick under the command of Marshal de la Cateres as we have lately expressed Now some time after all these embroiles and perturbations both in Bohemia and Austria were past the Emperour Rodolph either through vexation and trouble or otherwise Death of the Emperour Rodolph the twentieth of January 1612. for death hath alwayes a cause departed out of this fraile life to the immortall one He was son to that good Emperour Maximilian whose steps he followed He was a lover of sciences and chiefly of the Art of Painting He passed his time much in distilling he was fearfull and by consequence little undertaking and little feared by his enemies who knowing his nature did many things to the diminution of the Imperial Authority He died at Pragut in the year 1612. upon the 20 th of Ianuary The Empire had no need of a distillator but rather of a good Operatour to act powerfully against the ill plants which cast forth strong roots both under him and his successour and which have given so much pains and troubles to the Empire CHAP. XIV The Warre between the Danes and Swedes the reasons why Colmar taken Charles dies The Queen-Regent purchases a double Marriage in Spain The Town of Aix or Aquisgrane taken and Newburgh relieved by Spinola Chules Duke of Sudermain and afterwards King of Sweden sends an Embassadour into Holland CHarles Duke of Sudermaine took the Crown away from Sigismund his Nephew and possessed his States quietly enough but there rose a huge warre between him and the King of Denmark who very much disturbed his rest and whereof in his complaint of King Christian he takes the Jesuits for the Authors They are the Atlases who must bear upon their shoulders all kinds of Calummes and Detractions They must swallow down the faults of others He had had many conflicts with the Polanders and had tried the various effects of Fortune But this of Denmark touched him so much to the quick that they two came from complaints to brawles and reproaches and thence to the lye yea and at last to desie one another A strange thing that men disapprove in others what they do themselves Charles a little before had sent an Embassadour to the States-General to beseech them to make a close Allyance
of the Emperours Generals repaired and raised his Authority to so much splendour that every body desired to keep himself fast with him and gaine his favour there remaining none who durst openly act for Frederick but such as were droven by despaire For the Duke of Anholt finding the gate open to a reconciliation stooped to get in and many Townes also did the same And the Landgrave William sonne to Maurice of Hassia who finding Bellona too hard and rigorous a Mistresse betook himself to the society of the Muses followed the example of the former and was received with the same benevolence yea and adorned with a new Title of Honour besides We are forced in a scorn to make a good Part which when the danger is past we do not value Mansfeldt recollected fragments of the Armies found means to repair his losses Mansfeldt uses deceit in the Palatinate and grew likely to restore things to the point from whence they were fallen In effect not being able to get into Bohemia he wheeled about towards the Palatinate where by the taking of some places and fighting some prosperous skirmishes he raised the courage of his souldiers and struck astonishment into his enemies But the Duke of Bavaria seased upon the upper Palatinate reduced him to such extremity that upon the condition of a summe of mony and some very high title of Honour he was content to seek Peace with the Emperour however it were intended by him but onely to save his Army and so to kill two birds with one stone Foul play or cheaterie when it succeeds well passes for a gallant piece of warlike craft and wickednesse never seeks long before it findes an occasion For as soon as he arrived in the Lower Palatinate he threw off his Vizard broke his word took many Towns which served for a Fee to his hunger-starved souldiers sacked Alsatia Takes Hagenaw and surprized Hagenaw Frederick upon the noise of these successes left Holland passed incognito through France and not without huge paines and danger got to the Army There happened a surious Encounter near Wisloch The Bavarians beaten where the Bavarian lost abost above two thousand men a great number of Colours and four Field-Pieces which were testimonies that the victory was not coutemptible But Tilly was not long before he found meanes to revenge himself of this affront It is good to lend to such as are alwayes read to render For having joyned his Troops with Don Cordocia and being informed that the Marquis of Baden was separated from Mansfeldt he followed him so close that he overtook him neer Wimpfen where after a stubborn fight of some hours he put the Cavalry to flight But the Infantry or Foot finding themselves abandoned with a masculine resolution mingled with despair and desire of an honourable death fought very valiantly and made Tilly know that he should not have their lives at so cheap a rate They have their revenge as not to wrangle stoutly for them howbeit by an unlucky chance they were deprived of the meanes though not of the will Victory of the Imperialists near Wimpson to continue it For by the perpetual playing of the Ordnance the fire got into the powder which sprung the Waggons with so unfortunate hurt that all the Foot fell into disorder and was cut in pieces And eight and thirty Pieces of Canon a great deal of Baggage and money with six score Coulors falling into the hands of the Conquerours made the Conquered confesse that they received a huge and most sensible losse The Field was strewed with dead Bodies and the perishing of six thousand men upon the place gave cause to count this for one of the greatest Battails of this Age. The Bishop of Halberstadt in the interim was not asleep but having contracted great forces The cruelties of the Bishop of Halberstadt in Westphalia he went ravaging and pillaging all Westphalia sparing neither Monkes Nunnes nor Ornaments of the Church it self to satiate his cruelty leachery and avarice Indeed the scandall he gave was too great for his proceedings were blamed even by them of his own Party and he purchased the name of the Mad Bishop But the Catholicks were too much tyed to the Emperours service and therefore he thought fit to chastise them since there was no other means to hurt their Victorious head and besides the disgust of their so often singing Te Deum was too sharp and hot to be endured At Paterborne he took a Statue of Sains Liborius of massive Silver and melted it into Rex Dollars which he signed with an Arm stretched out and a sword with this motto A Friend to God and an Enemy to Priests The youthfull insolencies and unreasonable actions which he committed in a certain Cloyster of Nunnes must be buried in silence for the like could not happen but in a corrupt Age. This Army cast the greatest bulk of the war Warre again the Ecclesiasticks upon the Ecclesiasticks nor can there be imagined any kinde of sacriledge which was not perpetrated by them neither went they in fine very farre before they received the Crown of their works For being coasted or overtaken by the Count of Anholt who was now joyned to Tilly they were strenuously assaulted near the River Maine and endeavouring to passe in confusion the Bridge brake and made fine sport for the Imperialists who cut off such as were stopped and the River conspiring to their destruction thruzled a great many more so that only they who could swimme escaped and through their great diligence made a shift at length to reach the Avantguard of the Army where their Bishop marched and so ranged themselves under the wings of General Mansfeldt so that the River shared stakes with the Imperialists in the honour of this victory as having drowned about three thousand of them Frederick after this so rough a check having no means at all left to maintain his forces any longer disbanded them and retired himself back to the Hague there to expect the issue of the Treaty at Brussels by which Frankendal with the consent of King Iames of England was sequestred into the hands of the Infanta Tilly went afterwards and took Heidelberg by force and Manhein by composition and that great renowned Library Heidelbergh taken and the Library carried to Rome was transported to Rome for the Pope would have also his part of the booty to the great trouble of all the Electorall Family but who can resist against Fate Mansfeldt and his Bishop marched on towards Lorrain through which they passed without any repugnance the Duke being surprized by their unexpected approach and stayed some weeks at Sedan and Cardâ—â—â—a who was at their heels incamped himself at Ivoy We will leave them there to plot new Designes with the Duke of Boâ—â—llon and return into Poland to see what great body of Nobility march so briskly on to face that potent Emperour Osman CHAP. VIII The continuance of the warre
and gave an Alarme to all Italy But this fine appearance being stopped by a misfortune made the Troops return as being destinated for a supply against the Duke of Soubize and obliged the King by the request of the Pope to give peace to Italy The Valteline in the hands of the Pope and sequester the Valteline into his hands save only that both the Kings were to have their passage with their forces that way About the same time there was discovered a Conspiracie against the King of France and the Duke of Vandosme his Brother the great Priour the Marshall d' Ornano and many others put in prison where the two last ended their dayes without much noise and the Count of Chulois by the hands of a Common Executioner These accidens raised much hatred upon Cardinal Richelieu and produced many Pasquils against him Envy and Harred are ever companions to the vertue of great Ministers and their actions are never free from blame CHAP. XII Mansfeldt hunts every where for relief and sets an Army on foot The Marriage of the Prince of Wales with a Daughter of France after his return out of Spain HAnnibal was no sooner out of his infancy then he vowed the ruine of the Romanes and being revoked from Italy after he had domineered there the space of seventeen yeares to save Carthage he there ran his ship a ground which had been loaden with so many victories against the great Scipio But now what did he when all the strings of his Bow were broken He made to his wits for new ones He remembred his Oath begged succour animiated the Kings of the East against the insatiable ambition of the Romanes and continued his hatred even to the very last gasp of his breath Mansfeldt and his Bishop seemed to have taken the like Oath against the House of Austria and by consequence for the continuance in action against it they must have new forces Holland could furnish them with matter conveniency money and hatred enough England with desire enough to see Frederick again in the Palatmate and France with jealousie enough in regard of the growth of the aforesaid House There wanted no bellowes to kindle this fire mens humours being already disposed that way by diversity of Religions hatred envy self-ends and Maxime of State a Cover which is never either too long or too short and stronger then even Justice it self But now as these Captains had not so much trouble to perswade as that Great Affrican so had they notwithstanding to do with people of much better understanding then those Barbarians They went into France where Mensfeldt received some affronts from some particular persons for ill treatments given the French in Freezland Mansfeldt demands succour in France However he obtained his demand namely some Force the Minister who then began to climb the Horizon of favour being now no more mindfull of the services both asked by and granted to the Imperialists before Sedan in case of necessity Maximes of State are more forcible then obligations and Ministers turn their Allyances that way which their passions carry them Now King James though by the negotiations with Spain he had disgusted many of the Reformed Religion shewed himself neverthelesse willing to have as good intelligence with the Catholick States as the King of France had with the Protestant and so he sent Prince Charles his Sonne into Spain to espouse the Infanta Mary but after the losse of much time he came back into England and demanded in France through which he had passed disguised the Kings Sister who was more easily granted him Men have laboured to penetrate into the Mystery of this Treaty but all by conjecture only The Roman Catholicks of England who began already to feel some warmth of the businesse were extremely afflicted at the breach of the aforesaid Match and the misfortune which befell them was a testimony of the perpetuall Crosse which was ordained for them in the Britannick Islands A misfortune at London for being met in a private Assembly at London to hear masse the Loft overburthened by the multitude sunk down and bruised near a hundred persons together with the Priest When the aforesaid Prince had married the Daughter of Henry the fourth and sister to Lewis the thirteenth he and his Father undertook the care of re-establishing his Brother-in-Law in the Palatinate In such sort as that Mansfeldt had no great difficulty to transport ten thousand English into Holland who almost all of them perished at Gerthrudenbergh and served for bait to the Fish The French Cavalry consisting of three thousand did likewise no very long service for the Generalls marching towards the Rhein and tormenting the Arch-Bishop after their old fashion their Army diminished much by disbandings and themselves fell into a quarrel which had almost brought them to a Duell though at last they returned into Holland and went from thence to the North to warm those people against the Emperour The Spaniards passe the Isel Upon the seventeenth of February 1624. the Spaniards passed upon the Ice over the River Isel and caused a terrour as faire as Holland Whereup-the Prince was constrained again to lay about him and pass to Virick and the States to command the Country-people to break the Ice of the River of Vecht But Count Henry expected neither his enemies nor the thaw which would have made him to be caught in a Pit-fall but retyred himself much faster then he came and many of his souldiers found their graves in the River of Welaw His designe was to fright the Peasants and not to hurt the States CHAP. XIII The Siege of Breda The Enterprizes upon Antwerp SPinola was every moment devising now to wipe off by some notable enterprize the affront he had received before Berghen He marched into the field sent Count Henry towards the Rheyn who made a shew of besieging Grave and Count John of Nassaw with the Horse towards Breda who at his arrivall took a great multitude of Boats loaden with Provisions Himself followed with the Foot and in his Councell of War there was found no more then one Colonell who thought fit to begin the siege The siege of Breda and that upon the same reasons whereby Spinola himself was moved to it On the other side the Prince of Orange glad to see his Rivall engaged before a place so well provided of all necessaries as also of a strong Garrison did not so soon dispose himself to succour it but gave the Spaniards leisure to entrench themselves and they him to repent himself of it But he hoped by the successe of his designe upon Antwerp long before premeditated in his thoughts and held by him infallible The enterprize upon the Castle or Cittadell of Antwerp to unnestle them from thence and cast their state into an irremediable confusion He was well informed that there were but very few Souldiers in the Cittadell and they for the most part dismembred and cripled Wherefore
he sent some Troops which made a shew of coming from the Camp before Breda as carrying the same Motto's and Colours which Spinola carried they arrived undiscovered to the very Mote applyed their Ladders and set all their rare Engynes on work to render themselves Masters of the Place whereof they could not have failed had not their own hearts failed them first For one Who goes there of the Sentinell followed by the discharge of a Musket made theirs fall our of their hands and left them no more courage then onely to fly It was thought that he had a mind to bestow the honour of this expeditiupon the Hollanders whom he onely employed in it and that if he had mingled any of the other nations with them the businesse would have issued to his contentment This newes struck the Marquis almost into a feaver and sent the Prince loaden with Melancholy to the Hage where towards the end of the winter he died leaving his Army to his brother Henry Frederick and Spinola before Breda who seeing no meanes to take it by force resolved to famish it A former enterprize upon the same Cittadell The aforesaid Prince had had a former enterprize upon the said Cittadell and held himself so sure of it that he told the Burgomasters of Dort at his departure that none but God could hinder it And indeed he was no sooner embarked but there arose so violent and so extreamly cold a tempest that it put both his life and his Fleet in danger and so he was forced to return God hath put limits to Victories which cannot be passed by humane wisdome Spinola having sufficiently learnt how needfull it was to be vigilant with an enemy who slept not reinforced the Garrison of the aforesaid Cittadell kept himself fast in his trenches before Breda expecting the consumpsion of the Provisions of the Town and made magazin for the Winter and being advertised besides that the Enemy was assembling some forces and that four Kings had interested themselves in this Siege He sent for some Regiments from the Emperour Uladislaus Prince of Poland before Breda Prince Vladislaus since King of Poland came to see this famous siege and was received by the whole Army with such military honours as were due to the Sonne of a King and a very great Captaine The King of Spaine having foreseen this tempest which was contrived against his Low-Countries and being unwilling to hazard the whole for one piece thereof wrote to his Aunt that it was better to leave the siege then obstinately to persist in the impossibility of taking the Towne with the losse of all her States This savoured well with the Emulators of the said Marquis as Don Lewis de Velasco c. A Magazin burnt There happened also another misfortune which was that the Hollander fired a Magazin which would have staggered any other General but such a one as he who quickly requited this losse and by his vigilancie repulsed the English who with a most martiall courage went to attack a Quarter of his Camp Breda copitulates In fine after a Siege of ten moneths Breda was yeelded and it happened the very same day that the Kings Letters arrived with his absolute command to draw off the Army We left the King of Poland with his Nobility marching against the great Turk and therefore let us now look what the Swedes in the mean while are doing Gustavus laid hold of that occasion passed an army into Livonia and after the siege of five weeks to the great trouble of the Citizens took Riga The Swedes take Riga The Polanders hereupon made loud complaints of him for beginning the Warre just when they were busied against the Common Enemy and for breaking the Truce in the articles whereof it was comprized that the one of the Kings should not enter into the Lands of the other without having denounced the War three moneths before To which the Swedes made answer that they had sent their Embassadours And mâ—â—k at the complaints of the Foles and that they were not able to dispatch their Commissions any sooner being hindered by windes and tempests which were to be accused and not they a trick of War which must be made passe for good according to the Maximes of this Age. In short this occasion was favourable to the Swedes who cared as much for their reasons as Monsieur de Montmorancy did for those of the Magistrates of Metz when he was gotten into possession of their Towne This War was finished by a Truce whereby the Swedes were obleiged to return by Sea after they had well fortifyed Riga with intention never to restore it againe Now the Electour Palatine after being spoiled of his States was deprived also of his Dignities and his Electorat transferred upon the Duke of Bavaria his Cosin 1623. which much augmented hatred against the Emperour Duke Maximilian and all the Catholicks and caused in fine many new Allyances to be made which put spurts to the War we are going to discribe in this next Book The Electour Palatin spoiled of his States and banished This Prince was crowned King of Bohemia the fourteenth of November 1619. in the moneth of January following he made his Allyances and in the same year also he lost his Kingdome and his States was proscribed by the Emperours Edict and his Coronation declared Null He who grasps much holds little and it often falls out that whilest we are in pursute of other mens good we lose our owne THE HISTORY OF THIS IRON AGE THE FOURTH BOOK CHAP. I The Warre of Denmark The Allyances of the Kings of France England Denmark and the States of Holland against the Emperour GEneral Mansfeldts arguments had as much efficacy in the North as they had towards the South because the dangers which seemed to threaten that Country were grown greater and besides a Prince which becomes potent makes himself both feared and hated Tilly wintered in Hassia in despight of the Landgrave Maurice nor were the States of Low-Saxony a little troubled to see the Imperiall Eagles fluttering up and down upon their fronteers and that not without giving them great incovenience besides that they feared lest they should peradventure come to replant their old authority there The King of Denmark together with many other Princes and States thereabouts were moved to much impatience by the ruine of Frederick as apprehending lest these Guests should come and take up their lodging amongst them Wherefore being advertised by common danger and by that which themselves perhaps would have done if they had had the same power and right which the Emperour had they made a League for the defence of the Circle of the Lower Saxony into which entred the Kings of England France and Sweden together with the States Generall and the King of Denmark himself was the Head A League against the Em perour as being General of the said Circle The Dukes of Brunswick Mekelenburgh and Holstein
the Enemy and retyre himself as fast as he could gallop to Wolfenbottel This was a great and bloody Fight and the Imperialists remained entirely victorious in it The Victory of the Imperialists and the death of Generall Fucks Brave Generall Fucks who had disswaded the Battell lost his life in this occasion and gave the King sufficient testimony that it was not through basenesse of heart or cowardize but upon strong arguments that he desired him not to precipitate Many other Officers were also slain together with above six thousand Souldiers Thirty Pieces of Canon three thousand Prisoners fourscore and ten Colours adorned the Conquerours Chariot and all the booty was given to the Souldiers in recompence of their Valour This was that famous Battell of Luther which happened upon the 27 th of August whereby the Emperours authority and the joy of his Allyes was much augmented and their Enemies fear redoubled and after this there followed a continuall thred of Victories and taking of Towns even to the very sea-side Favour flatters Fortune and when there is no more meanes lest to make open resistance against the storme the sailes must be taken in or the Vessel steered for safety to the shelter of some Wood or Rock The Duke of Brunswick quitts the League The Duke of Brunswick followed this Maxime by making his Peace and renouncing the League with Saxonie Tilly lost no time seized upon Rotemburgh and many other places whilest the King recollected the fragments of his Army and put it in Equipage during the Winter but to no purpose For this vessell was too much tottered to do any more service at all In conclusion Tilly having taken Nontheen drew neer the River of Elbe which was also to be conquered after the conquest of so many enemies But we leave France too long in Peace which yet was not all this while quiet CHAP. II The prosecution of the second Warre against the Hughenots The Peace made by the undertaking of the King of England the Venetians and the Hollanders Warre between France and England and why The beginning of the third and last Warre against the Hughenots Cardinall Richelieu makes himself known admired and feared The siege and reduction of Rochell The Duke of Soubize takes some shipps WE have already shewed how the Peace was made in Italy as well upon the request of the Pope as to put a remedy to the inopinated Invasion of the Duke of Soubize who against all expectation and in full peace launched with a Fleet from Rochell came before the Port of Blavet and seized upon some ships which he found there But the Duke of Vandosme who was Governour of the Province transported himself thither with so much promptitude that he hindred the aforesaid Duke from making any farther progresse and forced him to retyre with two or three great Vessels and some of a middle burthen In such sort as that by this invasion The peace is broken the Peace which was made in the year 1622 before Montpellier was broken in that of 1625 and the Duke of Rohan his brother recommenced the Warre in earnest both in High and Low Languedock under pretext that the Treaty of Peace had been ill observed The King sends an Embassadour to the Hague This surprize so much displeased the King that he forth with sent all those Troops which were destinated for Italy towards Brittany and an Embassadour to the Hague to summon the States to his assistance with twenty ships according to the tenour of the Allyance made betwixt them But the Embassadour found some repugnance in the Colledge of the said States in respect of Religion though yet when he had remonstrated to them that the businesse was onely to humble the Kings subjects to their obedience and threatened them also with a breach in case of refusall they granted his demand My Master sayes he is of the same Faith with the King of Spaine and yet he maketh no difficulty to assist you against him And will you in a Warre of State expresse an inconsiderable zeale of Religion He obtaines twenty shipps Soubize being beaten retyres into England Hereupon the States dispatched Admirall Hantain who being joyned with the Kings Navie carried himself like a Mediatour of a Reconcilliation and obtained a Truce of three dayes which yet was ill enough kept by Soubize who hoped to draw some advantage from it but his Fleet was defeated and he forced to retyre into England with six or seven vessels and so the French took the Island of St. Martin and built two Forts there The King upon the intercession of the States pardoned them of Rochell but the Zelanders did not pardon Admirall Hautain who had for his recompence his house demolished by the people which were mad at the losse of the said Place But these were ruled by the passion of Religion and those by that of the preservation of the State The reason why Monsieur de Soubize brake the Peace was because the King had differred the demolishment of Fort Lewis raised near Rochell which served for a bridle to the Town and a Prospective to the Townsmen But the Governour indeed refused to do it upon some informations which he had received from the Town of some sinister designes In fine the Fort still remained entyre for all this and was to prove fatall to the Party illustrate the Kings Majesty throughout all France and cut off the root of all Religion It was believed that the Duke of Rohan had begged succour from the King of Spaine in this discord of the Reformates and his own and his brothers disaster but being pressed by the King of England the Venetians the Hollanders and the Savoyers he expected not the return of his Embassadour The Peace is made by an allyance against the Emperour and so upon the instance of the aforesaid King and States who could not indure the ingrandishment of the Imperiall Majesty in Germany the Peace was renewed the same year thas it was broken and the League was knit up in Denmark as we have lately said in the year 1625. But before that warre which was fatall to the Danes was finished began the disorders which thrust themselves in between the French and English the reason whereof as also of the third warre which consummated the ruine of the Reformed Party you shall forthwith understand King James a peaceful Prince King James jealous of his Royall authority and more prone to study then fight could never be induced to assist the Hughenots in France But after his decease King Charles his sonne by the reasons of Monsieur de Soubize and his Favourite the Duke of Buckingham suffered himself to be perswaded to it manifesting thereby in imitation of his Brother in Law that that Friendship which grew from the allyance of marriage was weaker then that of interest There wanted no pretexts as well of Religion as otherwise and the English being already pricked against the French and these
against them for the bad treatment of the Priests and Officers of the Queen they were easily brought to break as well by the arguments of Soubize as of the whole Body together The English enter the Isle of Ray 1627. and so the English Fleet made a descent or disembarkment in the Isle of Ray in the moneth of July of the year 1627 and besieged the Fort of St. Martin which was not yet quite finished This Warre which in outward appearance had no other scope at all then that of Religion with many other petty punctilios which merited not so much as an ill look from either to the other proved fatall to the English and glorious to the French Are beaten off with shame by the enterance which they made into the Island and the chase they gave their Enemies from thence but yet more glorious to Monsieur de Toir as who defended the Fort neer four moneths both against them and famine and most glorious to the Marshal of Schoenbergh who put in the succour and forced them after they were lustily beaten to retyre to their ships So that upon the matter the English went away with the shame and the Rochelers stayed with the losse And this warre helped to forward the King of Denmarks ruine in regard that these Kings gave him not the assistance they had promised him by the Contract and so he struck a ground Rochell The Confederated States after the reduction of Rochel were saine to hear as well the reproaches and calumnies of the whole Body of the Hughenots of France as the taunts and raylings of the English Where blinde Passion rules there is no roome for Reason For it was not their fault that this difference was not decided by some other meanes then that of armes But let us now note the successe of this siege Rochell is a Town situated in the Country of Asins which is grown to have great traffick and riches through the convenienie of the Haven The growth of the Towne and by consequence insolent against the Kings authority The Inhabitants mutined under Francis the first but as soon as they saw him in Arms and that he would be obeyed their audacity quickly turned into humility After they embraced the Reformed Religion they became by little and little so powerfull and so considerable that the Kings through that the necessity of their affaires were often obliged to make a shew not to see or connive at that which was not invisible to any When we cannot correct Vice we must seem to be ignorant of it For having the principall Key of the Kingdome they made themselves chief of the Party and all such as for any discontentment absented themselves from Court and bent themselves against the King and his Authority could never faile to be welcome unto Rochell It is besieged by Henry the 3. They were once besieged by Monsieur who was afterwards Henry the Third but upon request of the Embassadours of Poland the siege was drawn off just at the time when they were in hazard of being tamed But since that their strength together with their Intelligence both within and without the Kingdome is so much augmented they have relyed upon their fortifications and have subtracted themselves from the yoke nor more nor lesse then the Imperiall Towns have done from that of the Emperour Cardinall Rechelieu having gotten full possession of the Kings favour for having dissipated some tumults and found out the Mine whereof the Count of Chalais payd the whole score as a Complice for all the rest had no more left to do then to acquire also that of the Clergie and People by some remarkable service to the State whereof he could not faile by the reduction of Rochell And then by Lewis the 13. in the year 1627. Now the King being informed of the descent of the English in the Isle of Ray commanded his Troops to march and as soon as he was recovered of a dangegous sicknesse which he had at that time he made them also intrench and advance all the shipps of France to stop the Haven even the Spaniards themselves comming to take possession of the place which the Hollanders had left under a specious pretext of mending their Vessels The Damme being perfected and the shipps sunk in the deepest and hollowest place of the Channell the besieged were reduced to a famine which exceeded that of Jerusalem All their hope was in the English and Buckingham made all the haste he could to succour them who had furnished him with victualls for his Army and now with most instant and urgent supplications begged some back againe from him but he being assassinated by a certaine Englishman Buckingham killed by Felton called Felton who went expresly out of Holland to sacrifice him to the hatred of the People the Fleet was retarded This murderer committed this fact by the meer and onely impulse of zeal to the Religion and so by thinking to forward the businesse he hindered it We very often aspire to that which is against us and reject that which is for us This Duke of Buckingham had entirely disposed of King James and was no lesse in the favour of the King his Sonne though neither his good countenance nor his gracefull carriage nor his liberality nor his courtesie was ever able to winne the People who held him still for the Authour of all imaginable mischief to the Kingdom The Reason of State whereby Princes maintaine Now the King of England being in some misunderstanding with his Brother in Law the King of France sent the Lord Montalgue to the Dukes of Lorraine and Savoy to animate them to a powerfull diversion thereby to withdraw him from this siege What cannot reason of State work upon Princes who ought to have a care to preserve their interests by all rationall meanes By this same reason have the Kings of France maintained the Hollanders and the Protestants By this might it seem lawful to these two Princes to passe by the consideration of Religion By this do the Swissers and the Venetians uphold themselves And the two aforesaid knew well enough that the French having fastened this pinne would not faile to trouble their Neighbours upon the very first occasion since there wanted no pretext besides that perswasion whereby some flatterers will needs make them believe that all Europe belongs to them The Cardinall to whom all these plots and practises were not unknown as having his Pensioners in England as well as elsewhere provided himself for them The Aequinoctiall brought the Fleet which was to break the Damm and put some food into the famished Towne The Damm The Nobility posted thither to serve their King and purchase glory All was hemmed in with Artillery and Souldiers and the passage so stopped as well by the said Damm and variety of Engines as also by the Vessels that the English not seeing any meanes to penetrate retyred The Rochelers of whom there was not
received by all the Subjects of the King as a speciall grace sent them from God but that which was deplorable in it was that he was forced to abandon the cause of his Cousins the Dukes of Meckelenbergh who for having embraced his and followed his Party or rather for having conjoyned their armes with all the members of the Circle were proclaimed Out-lawes The Dukes of Meckelâ—nbergh excluded from Peace Their Dutchy given to Wallenstein and their Dutchy ingaged to Wallenstein who was afterward put in possession thereof as true Duke by the Emperour This proceeding as being very rigorous against Princes of so ancient and so illustrious a Family and totally contrary to Ferdinands clemency made the House of Austria suspected not only of intending to establish her Authority in the North but of making also the very Empire it self Hereditary and to go yet farther too if occasion were offered And this upon the matter was partly the cause of the Swedish warre as we shall shortly demonstrate But let us go into Austria where we shall find very fine house-keeping CHAP. IV The Warre of the Peasants in Austria VVHilest all the North trembled at the Imperial Eagles and that nothing but the salt ayer of the Ocean was able to stop either their flight or their victories behold a little spark in Austria both contemptible and contemned raised within a few moneths such an embarasment as frighted that invincible Monarch at the same time that all the Princes began with good reason to apprehend him through the constant felicity of his Generalls These disorders were caused by diversity of Religion and the Politicians together with such as aspired to change moved them on to that point which we are now going to describe The cause of the Revolt of the Peasants Ferdinand being a very zealous Prince thought it his duty to draw either by fair meanes or foul all his Subjects to the Roman Catholick Religion and his Councell alledged that his Authority would still be wavering as long as there should be any Hereticks in his States And so it was facil to perswade him to a thing which hè conceived to depend upon his conscience Whereupon he commanded all his Subjects either forthwith to embrace the Catholick Religion or depart out of Austria within a certain term prescribed them A bold resolution and found strange opposition He declared in his Letters Pattents that Heresie under the pretext of Liberty of Conscience and Priviledges hatched nothing in her bosome but Revolts Sedition and Devices to shake off the yoke of Soveraigns and lawfull Magistrates Princes look upon the interest of State and the People that of Religion which once lost farewell all respect with it The Peasants must therefore be stirred up to try if luck would turn and whether Fortune would be alwayes fixed with a Diamant-Nayle Complaints were rejected Count Hebersdorf the inexorable executor of this importunate and unseasonable Command was first chased away with stones and afterwards fury affoarded other weapons For the said Peasants to the number of ten thousand cut off his forces seazed upon many Castles and small Places and being at lenth re-inforced by forty thousand men and forty Peeces of Ordnance pillaged all Austria sparing neither Priest Monk nor Gentleman The Clergy hath ever served as Fee or prey to the seditious The Emperour wrote to them but they endeavouring to obtain by force what was denied to their supplication disdained to answer him Upon which he dispatched other Embassadours to endeavour to reduce them gently to their duty but they retained them and sent some from themselves to Vienna to demand free exercise of their Religion dismission of the souldiers and a generall pardon for what was past All which they had obtained had not their prosperity by the defeat of some of the Duke of Bavaria's Troops made them undertake more If any grow blind by happinesse it is chiefly the abject sort of the vulgar which waxes temerarily bold when it thinks it self feared But the Town of Lintz which they besieged cowed their courage and speeded the punishment which they had deserved by their rash Rebellion They assaulted it often but were still repulsed with huge losse so that Papenheim who was appointed to chastise them effected it not with so great facility as Trucses and some other Generals had done that of the like seditious Rabble above a hundred years before For he was fain to combat them at least seven times before he could vanquish them so chearfully and stoutly would they rally and defy their victorious enemies even in the fight The Romans found themselves once in great trouble by the revolt of their slaves and yet they more easily quenched that fire though it were even within the Walls of Rome then the Imperialists were able to do this because here was more combustible matter But under what Heads or Leaders Their Generals a Schollar a Shoomaker and a Smith did this desperate Crew fight A Schollar a Shoomaker and a Smith With what weapons Sticks Stoones Whips Forks and Muskets And what more Potion and Enchantments To what end If we must judge Effects by their Causes it was for the exercise of Religion and to beat out their Soveraign Magistrate Who were those Aeoluses who letting loose the windes disturbed the Calm and raised their storms It is more easie to conjecture and believe then to prove They are at last defeated in many Encounters by Papenheim After the last defeat the most mutinous of them ran away and the rest pent up at home like slocks of sheep Thus ended this dangerous warre which teaches us how perilous a a thing it is to endeavour to command mens consciences We must contend with the word of God and not with the sword or to say better we must pray with charity for one another and not persecute our selves with arms unlesse we be commanded by Politick necessity The holy Scripture sayes Let the rares grow fear lest you root out the good corne Papenheim acquired no lesse glory nor merited lesse to Triumph then the two other Generals And thus was the Emperour delivered from a most apparent danger by the remotenesse of his Armies Let us now make a leap to the Low-Countries and see what passed there at the beginning of the year 1625. CHAP. V The death of Prince Maurice and of the King of England The Siege of Groll The State of Lorraine The Jubily at Rome Bethleeem makes warre upon the Emperour and obtains peace The death of Maurice 1625. PRince Maurice being returned to the Hague expressed no more then a certain pensiveness and melancholy proceeding from age and as it was believed from the errour committed in that memorable Enterprise upon Antwerp which grew to augment his feaver and brought him at length to his grave His reputation is too much known to speak much of him and the United Provinces would have had cause to be infinitely afflicted at such a loss had he
not left them that worthy Brother and that strong Atlas who forthwith took the burthen of the Government upon his shoulders This was he who firmly fixed this reeling Common-wealth by his Arms took many Townes in Freezland Overysell and Guelders with small charge few men and little bloodshed in such sort as that he merited to be termed as he was the Father of the Souldiers And of King James a peacefull Prince In the same spring also died King James a Prince who much loved Peace and learning After he had the Crown of England upon his Head all the disasters and misfortunes of his House begun upon his Praedecessours were stopped by him as water is by the opposition of a Dam or Bank so to gush out with the greater violence upon his children and succesours as we shall hereafter shew But who can penetrate into the secrets of Gods Judgments He governed his kingdom in peace and maintained his Subjects in riches and delights but there grew up a little Venim which wrought afterwards in fit time The â—vills which we see often happen draw their cause sometimes from afarre off Prince Henry having payed the last duties to his magnanimous Brother departed from the Hague to hinder the designe which the Spaniards had The Spaniards will joyne the Rhein to the Moâ—â— 1626. to joyn the Rhein to the Mose and by the erection of many Forts keep the Hollanders from passing over an Enterprise which unprofitably exhausted their money and made them seem able to make no more then meerly a Defensive warre Jupiter laughed at the Gyants who would scale Heaven Time hath declared the inutility of this work and to what intention also that advice was given For the Hollanders are Masters of that liquid Element and passe it when they will There chanced nothing worthy of note in that toylsome March save only that Count Henry of Bergues beat up the Horse-Quarter brought away the Count of Stirum his Cousin prisoner with some Horse Count Stirum prisoner In revenge whereof the Prince sent Count Ernest to unnestle the Spaniards from Oldenzeel and destroy the nest The Siege of Grol In the year 1627. he laid siege to Grol a small but strong Town upon the Confines of Westphalia which he carried in lesse then a moneth in the sight of a puissant Army Spinola in the mean time was busie about the fortifying of Sandflect a Village between Antwerp and Berghen op Zoom which was a design of more advantage and consideration then that of uniting the two Rivers By this exploit of the Prince it was judged that his Government would prove happy and the vessels loaden with mony which were brought out of Holland by Peter Hein moved him to undertake the siege of Boisleduc which was begun the first of May and ended the seventeenth of September a fatal day to the House of Austria Lorraine was peacefully governed by the wise conduct of Duke Henry son to Duke Charles but his term was but of sixteen yeers The death of the Duke of Lorraine He departed to a better life the twentieth of Iuly 1624. and shortly after him the repose and tranquility of all that Country by the ambition of her Neighbours He left but two Daughters the elder whereof was married to the Count of Vandomonts sonne her Cousin-German The Salick Law in Lorraine The year following the Salick Law having regained vigour and Francis of Vandomont being next heir by the said Law which excludes Females surrendred his right in that Dutchy to his sonne Charles which was approved by the States of the Country and so Charles Duke of Lorraine made his entry into the good City of Nancy and took full possession of the whole Dukedome Now some have written against this said Law as if it were to be observed no where but in France as coming thither with them out of Franconie But most Writers affirm that the ancient Franks established their habitation from the bank of the Rhein to the River of Loire in such sort as that Lorraine being comprised therein and having been also a parcell divided from that kingdom it followes that the Predecessors had the same intention to establish it as well in the kingdom of Austrasia as in that of France and that it hath been tacitly and quietly observed without any dispute Besides that it is proved by the Testament of Renè of Ierusalem Duke of Lorraine and Bar made in the year 1406. by which the Male are called to Succession and the Female excluded as it further appears also by experience it self A Jubily ar Rome This year of 1625. Pope Vrban celebrated an universall Jubily at which the Prince of Poland coming from the Low-Countries was present and the same year the Emperour Ferdinand Crowned his Son King of Hungary invited thereto by the States of that kingdom to be defended by so great and powerfull a Prince against the perpetual ambushes and snares of the inconstant Gabor Nor was it enough that he had one Crown The Crowning of the King of Hungary for that of Bohemia was also resigned him by his Father with the accustomed Ceremonies Let us not leave the Danub which was yet all red with the blood of the Peasants till we shall first have seen that of the Transylvanians and Turks stream also there together with the motives of that Warre Gabor breakes the peace This Gabor being swolne with pride by the Allyance of one of the most illustrious Houses of Germany honoured at his wedding by the presence of the two Emperours besides those of Kings and other Princes found himself tickled by a new desire to Reign and the occasions were so fair that they stifled the Peace so often sworne and so often broaken For the Armies were drawne towards the Baltick Sea and the Bavarians and Pahouheim had work enough with the revolted Peasants Whereupon he passed out of Hungary into Moravia and took many Townes the fear of so unforeseen an evill making the people have recourse rather to God then Armes But Mansfeldt having redressed his Army after being cudgelled in Saxony marched out of Silesia into Hungary and Wallenstein traced him affronted them all together and defeated them Upon this he called the Tartars who passed through Poland to his assistance but they being loaden with pillage were so hotly charged by the Poles The Tartars beaten that they were fain to lay down both their packs and their lives in such sort as that there remained not so so much as one alive to carry the newes so that there were only the Turks upon whom to look now and them he invited but it was only to augment the Triumph of Wallenstein And the Turks by Wallenstein who beat them took their Canon and pillaged their Camp which was full of riches The Grand-Signor desirous to keep the Peace called back his Troops and their departure gave Gabor Gabor repents and obtaines peace both disgust and
Italy to go against the King of Sweden The Duke of Nevers was fain to ask pardon and Investure which accordingly was performed and peace and rest restored to Italy How many combats how much blood-shed was here for a sume of ambition For Religion had nothing to do in the matter But it is credible that the Spaniards would not suffer so potent a French Prince at the entry into Italy and so near the Dutchy of Milan which they keep as tenderly as the ample of their eyes and that the French on the other side would establish him and uphold him without acknowledging the Emperour God makes justice appear when men will throw it under foot with Arms. Prodigies in Italy This warre had been praemonstrated by many Prodigies and Portents which praeceded it as namely by Earthquakes in Apalia whereby more then sixteen thousand persons were overwhelmed by dreadfull floods streams of blood and the like And really these two Nations after having stoutly wrangled and by sword famin and contagious sicknesses lost above a million of mortals came neither of them to the principal but secret end which they had proposed to themselves and reaped no other salarie then that of vain-glory drawn out of jealousie of State The Countries were destroyed the Neighbours oppressed Christian Religion contemned and altered and in the one of the aforesaid nations by many persons quite annihilated The Ministers who love to fish in troubled waters and blow the bellowes of their Masters ambition so to carry them rashly on to warres which might be diverted by one single conference will one day have much to answer before the fountain of all Equity and Justice The enemies of Cardinal Richelieu But let us leave this point to be picked out by the Casuists and return to France where we shall discover how the Cardinal falls as deep into the hatred of the Grandies as he is strong in the possession of the Kings favour The Queen-Mother repented her self of having promoted a Minister who was to destroy her Gastion was vexed to see the management of all the affaires of France in his hands without participating therein That devout Prelate the Chardinall of Berulles laboured to stop him from forging some designes as pernicious to the Catholicks abroad as they had been to the Hughenots in France But Parca cut off the thred of his life and deprived Richelieu of a most Religious Enemy who survived him to accomplish his end in other yea in all such as gave any jealousie and the Hughenots themselves were grown to sing his prayses when many Catholicks had him in horrour and execration CHAP. XII Cardinal Richelieu makes peace with the English and devises new Allyances to attack the House of Austria WHEN the Cardinal by his great prudence had broaken that puissant Party which in some measure both divided and shocked the Soveraign Power re-established every where the Catholick Religion and a fresh springing Amity amongst the people he perceived himself in danger to be cast out of the Saddle But he had acquired so great an influence upon the mind both of King and People by the good successe of his Counsels that he was not a jot moved at the puissant factions which he saw growing against himself at the Court all which he surmounted afterwards by a certain felicity which alwayes accompanied him and which after the Peace of Italy shined with more force and luster His designes seemed to be carried to a breach between the two Crownes The King makes peace with the English for the more eafie atchievement whereof and to involve the Church in this pernicious warre from which some Grandies were averse by the intermission or mediation of the Venetians he made peace with the English whom he could not attack by land and thought of finding another enemy whom he might lay aboard when he would His Master had deserved and possessed the name of Just by humbling with great moderation the Hughenot Party and there was no better meanes left to obtain it also amongst the Reformates who were yet very hot then by poasting to the succour of the Protestant against the Emperour The King of England after the fall of the Hughenots in whose defence he had lost both many men and much money finding the lot of arms unfavourable which was to be also fatall to him afterwards chose to sit still in Royall vacancie and repose The first war of the King against the Spiniards the second against the French and the third against his Subjects He was unfortunate in the first Expedition he made when he sent that Fleer with the Admirall of Holland who joyned with a great number of ships to surprise Cales For after having suffered many inconveniences and losses it was fain at length to return and the King of Spain remitted many prisoners into England to be punished like Pyrats because their King had not denounced the War One affront was paid by another In his second undertaking against France Fortune favoured him yet lesse and his third and lasi was the ruine of his Family as we will shew towards the end of this Epitome Suddenly after the reduction of Rochel the Cardinal pressed hard for the succour of the Duke of Nevers against the opinion of such as could not endure so glittering a Purple and who apprehended a breach But he began it and ended it as we even now said in the yeare 1633. The said Duke sold his homage and duty to the Emperour which gave contentment to the Duke of Savoy and the Marquis de Guastala in regard of their pretensions to the aforementioned Dutchies Now having already dissipated the smallest and weakest enemies of his Greatnesse he crushed that Party which had been so formidable to the precedent Kings and being confirmed by the assurances which his Master had given him of covering him with his Crown against all such as endeavoured his mine he resolved upon this great designe against the house of Austria A designe I say of huge danger and which could not be undertaken and set on worke The Cardinal disposes the Protestants to War against the Emperour but by means of potent Allyes for fear of incurring the hazard of destroying the State Therefore he thought it fir to awaken the Protestants all the North and all such as hated the Roman Catholick Religion nor were the Hollanders the last though the Spaniards courted them in vaine to a Truce The King of England was easily disposed to it in regard of his Son in Law and so great a Family as wherewith both himself and the Hollanders were burthened in a strange Country however the Communion of Religion and compassion made this charge seem supportable and gentle In briefe for the common interest of upholding themselves and for the apprehension which every one in particular had of this puissant House they were all resolved A powerful Oratour cannot faile to perswade when he pleads the Common cause But now there wanted both
with four thousand Foot and fifteen hundred Horse and he wrought so much by his frequent suites and instances with the Emperour induced thereto by Cardinal Richellen that he procured the Dignity of Generall to be taken away from the Duke of Frithland Frithland disâ— missed from his charge who had alwayes so well served him though by his behaviour he were growne insupportable chiefly to such as loved not the House of Austria Those powers which are trayled by so many puissant Aemulators together run post to destruction This councell proved dammageable to the Emperour and yet more to him who gave it and he who invented it was very likely to overthrow the whole Empyre The King of Sweden invited to come into Germany The King of Sweden being advertised of all which passed in Germany invited by the Germans themselves incited by France England Venice the Vnited Provinces and by occasion which he took up by the Forelock as also by his own peculiar interests began to make his preparatives There wanted nothing for a potent League but Causes and Pretexts whereof there would be found enough though it were no more then every one 's own advantage apart which is so strong that it ordinarily carries the ballance how full soever it be of reason and justice Men of this Age adore it neither is it without ground that a certain learned person calls it the Idoll of these times Towards the beginning of the year 1630. Europe was in a kind of Crisis war in Italy Germany full of old souldiers who struck terrour wheresoever they passed France apprehending lest this storm should fall upon her and that the Eagles should come and nestle again in those three Townes which were taken from them as I have noted already hindied a Treaty of Truce by hindring the acceptation of the Propositions and sent to the very bottom of the North to awaken Gustavus Adolphus to a League Nor needed there much eloquence to pers wade him who looked asquint already upon those puissant Troops upon the Baltick Sea which draw near him But knowing how he had been caught by his Neighbour he would not be content with promises but required a surety at Amsterdani before he would passe any further England besides the generall interest had that of the Prince Palatine which she conuld not handsomely abandon in such a conjuncture and yet was she also fain to give assurance for moneys before she could enter the League of this great Captain The States Generall were much concerned therein since by the growth of the House of Austria they foresaw their certain ruin in regard of the succour which she would be able to give the Spaniards And moreover they might well fear lest all the States of Germany humiliated or joyned to those of the Emperour he might come to redemand some Townes amongst them which are yet noted at the corner of the Eagle or Empyre The Venetians not warmed with the zeal of Religion as the Protestants were as being of the same with this House found for the interest of their State that it was necessary to put the said House into such termes as might not give so much jealousie And so the Protestants being inflamed and incouraged by the Catholicks which were interessed and desirous to see some disorder spring up in this powerful Body undertook the same designe And then it was that the Empire was to be torne in pieces since the Germans themselves conspired her ruine with her Enemies and subtracted themselves from her obedience because they could not endure her Majesty The House cannot faile to be burnt when the very owners themselves as well as the enemies help to set it on fire This unhappinesse was reserved for the latter times Let us see the King of Sweden come in for he will dance better then all who came before him CHAP. XVIII The entry of the King of Sweden into Germany His reasons why Those of the Emperour Allyances with Bogistaus He blocks up the Sea Towns Tilly takes the Generalate against his will VVHere shall I be able to finde tearmes and Inke black enough to expresse and write tragically enough the cruel and dismal effects of this sanguinary and horrible War Where shall I chuse words of energy or force enough to curse the inhuman actions and unnatural Tragedies which have been acted in wretched Europ and which are not yet ended and that onely by the immense ambition of some few persons It is lawful openly to blame Vice but not such as commit it It is God onely who must judge and we poor Subjects must bend our shoulders and expect our deliverance from above About Mid-Summer in the year 1630. the King of Sweden entred Germany with an Army having first cleansed the Isle of Rugia and the borders of Stralsund from the Imperial Garrisons The reasons which he published for his coming as an Enemy were First because his Embassadours had not been admitted to the Treaty of Lubeck Secondly in regard the Imperialists came against him in Prussia And thirdly for that some Letters of his which he sent to Bethleem Gabor had been intercepted in full peace But these were but pretexts for the true and moving grounds were these His reasons First because the Emperour had deprived his kinsmen the Princes of Meckelemburgh of their Dutchyes Secondly for that he had built Forts in all the Havens and made Ships to render himselfe potent upon the Baltick Sea with designe to passe one day further into Sweden then he was to expect that the Eagles would be suffered to coast And lastly in respect there was some apperance of extending his domination in Germany and in a word it is alwayes profitable to fish in troubled waters The answer to the aforesaid reasons The Emperour answered that he himselfe had begun by putting a Garrison into Stralsund and that there could be no treating with him without drawing it from thence As for his Letters besides that all the plots and practices both of himself and his Allyes were already discovered it was impossible but they must tend to his disadvantage being directed to a man who had as often revolted as opportunity was offered him to do it and who never kept his faith but when he wanted occasion to break it In relation to the Baltick Sea he had at least being Chief and Emperour as much to do with it as Gustavus had That the succour which he sent the King of Poland was sounded upon the same Maxims upon which himselfe had succoured the King of Denmark and Stralsund In order to the Dukes of Meckelemburgh he objected that he had nothing to do to controwl him in Germany and that himselfe would not take it well that he should medle with any of his kingdom That his cares were open to Intercessions but not to Commands But all these arguments served for nothing there must be blowes For the King was sure of his Allyes and of the inclination of all the
any nation which purely followestheir Doctrine When you shall see the abomination of desolation save your selves upon the Mountains The Assembly of Leip sick was convocated by the Electour of Saxony as Head of the Protestants thereby to hinder the restitution of the Ecclesiastical Lands and Goods to succour a Magdeburgh and joyn with the Swedes to resist the Emperour whose potency was too formidable to them And this was the ground of their calling King Gustave into Germany to be Captain Generall of all the forces who being fortified by the Allyances of France England and the Conforderated States of the Low-countries promised himselfe no lesse then the Empyre it self if he could winne but one Battail CHAP. XX The Protestants make an Allyance with King Gustave Magdeburgh taken by force They arm every where VVHilest the Embassadours of the Princes Imperial Towns and Protestans States were treating an Allyance and the King was growing formidable the Drummes were beating and the Trumpets sounding every where in such sort as that the two Electours in the month of July 1631 seeing themselves with an Army on foot of twenty thousand men threw off their vizard wrote to the Emperour as accusing him of having broaken his Oath overthrown the Peace and Liberty of Germany and in fine Complaints against the Emperour of having taken away the bonds of Religion And if he revoked not that Edict for Restitution of Ecclesiastical Lands and Goods and that there were not some means found out to remedy these diforders the whole Empyre would go to rack But it was now too late to talk of remedies strangers being already gotten in and Ferdinands honour too deeply ingaged Nor did their distrusts and jealousies derogate one jot from the justice of the Edict no more then their possession of so many yeares made them true and lawfull Proprietaries For That which is differed is not lost And for the praescription it served for nothing it being as lawful for the Emperour to take the said Lands and Goods from them by way of Justice as it had been for them to dispossesse the Ecclesiasticks thereof by violence or to retain them against the agreement made after they had withdrawne themselves from the ancient Church Refused by other to marry and so much the rather because he was obliged thereto by his Authority Right and Interest Besides he wanted not arguments to retort For he accused them of deceit for that under pretext of consulting they had assembled themselves to take Armes and joyn wich Gustave That it was they who had long agoe ruined the supports of Religion and divided Germany by factions and distrusts to the detriment of the publick quiet and that himself as being the Head was bound to restore all to the former splendour and good intelligence So every one pretended to have right on his side and the sword was to do the office Now Tilly who by the strength of * Gold Ducats had opened the conscience had purchased the Pen of a Secretary knew all that was treated in the said Assembly and effectively saw that there was neither Burgh nor Village under the jurisdiction of the Protestants where souldiers were not listed Tilly passes into Hastia Wherefore he passed into Hassia where he found the Landgrave William much changed as being far more mindfull of what he had concluded at Leipsick then of what he had promised the Emperour at Vienna For he refused both Garrison and Pension as also the casheering of his forces and shewed himself resolute in fine by the most manifest signs of aversion he gave to defend himself if he were attacked Upon which Tilly preparing himself to make him sing another tune Returns to the Siege was informed that the King advanced towards the Elbe and so his menaces were but Chimera's for he was forced to return to the Siege Count Turstembergh in Swave and Wittemberg The Count of Turstembergh an old Souldier stood not with his Arms acrosse for there was work enough cut out already without expecting any more Wherefore he was sent into Swaveland and Vlme both which he quickly ranged and from thence into the Dutchy of Wirtembergh where the eleven thousand men newly raysed were not strong enough to keep the Duke within the League in such sort as that those Provinces were constrained to renounce the Protestant allyance almost as soon as it was known that they had sworne to it All these commandments were prosperous enough in High Germany but the face of all things was changed in Low Saxonie and the Maritine Towns the principal subject of the distructs which had long been blocked up and put themselves again into King Gustaves hands Tilly and Papenheim being resolved rather to dye then abandon the Siege dissembled their losses received and continued it with so much order that they quickly made themselves masters All the Forts taken of all the Forts and Out-works so that there remained nothing but the Town which perished more out of hatred and by the industrie of wise Falkembergh then by her own strength The Inhabitants were summoned to render the Mines were ready and the hand listed up to strike and yet through their obstinacie and blindnesse they would needs expect extremityes which at length they found For Papenheim irritated as well by their flowts as by their contumatious resistance entred first by force and was repulsed by the Valour of the Marshal who being killed by a bullet And the Town by force which is all burnt the Inhabitants quickly retreated into their houses the neerest whereof he commanded to be fired and almost at the very same instant the fire was seen very far from thence neer the Elbe and so in lesse then four hours this fine Town was reduced into ashes whilest the Souldiers were fighting with the Citizens for plunder without taking any care at all to extinguish the devouring flames This was the end of that deplorable Town the ashes whereof produced such animosities amongst the Lutherans and Reformates against the Imperialists that they cannot be highly enough expressed and principally against Tilly whose actions they carped and said that he had stained all his gallant Victories with the smoaky ruines of Megdeburgh What ever were in the matter true it is that Tilly after this ransack found fortune alwayes against him and the Protestants reproached him with the indignation and vengeance of God for the shedding of so much innocent blood The Catholicks on the other side retort the fault upon the insolencie of the Burghers or Townsmen who refused honorable conditions when there was time for them and whilest the gate was yet open to favour and pardon and say besides that the Swedes seeing the place lost lest it on fire for feare least it should fall entyre together with the Magazin into the hands of their enemies alledging for proof thereof that the fire was kindled in many parts of the Town from which the imperialists were very far off
give them like for like if we can Indeed when jealousie and mistrust hath once taken root in the hearts of the Germans there is no means to pluck it out The designes of the Confederats The Confoederated Strangers were almost all resolved to make a Capiratado or Minct-meat of the Imperial Eagle but they could not agree about the sawee for King Gustave would have it sower and intended to eat it himselfe alone as the Lion did the Stag which he had taken in the company of the Wolfe and the Asse The King of France would have it sweer and praetended to both the wings at the least The King of England would have a share to his Brother in Law The vnited Provinces desired not her death but onely to cut off her Tallants that so she might not scratch The Venetians were of the same opinion with the Protestants who would onely make her change her nest and render her so tame and gentle Differences that she might be no more so fierce nor able to beck them Every body endeavoured to hurt her and turmoile her every one laid gins to catch her But when the Princes saw the King Gustave tormented her too much and handled her after such a-fashion as they liked not and that the French began to pluck off her feathers they apprehended both her ruine and their own too She was not succoured by the Polanders because thy were most exact observers of the Truce between themselves and the Swedes She got but very small aide from Italy for the Pope himselfe preferring the odour of the Flower de luce before all other considerations seemed not to care for the dangers to which she was exposed together with the Church whereof he possessed the supreme Dignity And yet for all this she defended her selfe with great resolution being succoured by the Spaniards and the Obedient Provinces as also by the City of Colein which was escaped out of a most evident danger The Eagle defended and by whom The Catholick Electors shewed themselves willing to die with her and the Duke of Lorraine made no difficulty to loose his States and hazard his life for her safety and preservation But the Elector of Trevers despairing of her health and endeavouring to save his own States from shipwrack and charmed besides by the eloquence of that great Cardinal cast himself into the armes of France as we shall hereafter finde though yet he could not escape the misfortune which was prepared both for his Arch-Bishoprick and himselfe But let us return into Brabant to the Siege of Mastricht CHAP. XXV Count Henry of Bergues disgusted with the Kings service goes secretly to the Haghe The Siege of Mastricht Papenheim repulsed returns into Germany Limburgh followes Mastricht and the Deputies the Prince to the Hague The death of three Kings THis year was memorable for the death of three kings Sigismund of Poland who very piously departed the 29 th of April The King of Sweden who lost his life upon the bed of honour and King Frederick who rendred his by sicknesse at Mentz The last year the Hollanders triumphed by water and they did it this by land as we shall see The Spaniards had sent the best part of their forces to the Palatinat and left the Low-Countries without men mony and counsel and in great terrour for so many losses Count Henry of Bergues disgusted by some pretended affronts with the service of his Prince whose Armies he commanded and by whom he could not be made greater then he was seeing the huge progresse of the King of Sweden and the occasion most opportune to beate out the Spaniards went to the Prince of Orange at the Haghe with whom together with Monsieur de la Tilillerie the French Embassadour there he had a very secret Conference Count Henry of Bergues goes to the Haghe the effects whereof appeared the first Field and the Prince being at the head of his Army marched the tenth of June from Grave up the Moze presented himselfe before Venlo from whence the said Count was already departed the same day and summoned it to render Venlo and Ruremund yeild The end of the War upon such conditions as he sent it in Blanke There was a report published that this Feild would produce an end of the War and of the Spanish Government which was the onely thing aimed at with the safety of the Catholick Religion and the Infanta's authority and person The bird cannot chuse but be taken if she hearken to the fowler Venlo was forthwith yeilded none going out of the Town but the Garrison for the Priests and Monks remained and the Reformats were content with one Church Count Ernest of Nasseaw went with a part of the Army before Ruremund which defended it selfe but through despaire of succour yeilded at last upon the same conditions that Venlo had done and a shot of a Harkebuse Ernest of Nassaw killed or Gun which was the last that was shot from the Town stopped the course of the said Counts life retarded the designe for some hours and gave Count John of Nasseaw meanes to put two and twenty Coulours into Mastricht This recrute brake the neck of all great designes purchased the Count of Bergues Savoâ—sr into Mastricht and them of his Cabal much disreputation and blame put the Hollanders in danger and preserved the succession for Philip the fourth King of Spaine how bitterly soever it have been disputed since The Infanta being fully informed of the said Count Henry's intentions whom she had alwayes loved and supported against all such as envyed him was at length induced to permit that an Order might be sent to the Governour of Guelders to seize upon his person and bring him with a good Guard to Brussels since he had refused to come of his one accord But he having smelt the designe retired himselfe forthwith to Liedge The Count of Bergues goes to Liedge where he laboured to draw the Kings Army to him by promising them an end of the War but none would follow him even they who had accompanied him thither forsooke him for the Souldiers desire not an end of War because they have no other Trade to live The Count of Warfuze And the Count of Warfuze who was of the Plot got also thither but the Duke of Arschot who was suspected for it stirred not at all but remained firme in his duty As soone as the Holland Cavalrie appeared before Mastricht Count John marched out with his in such sort as that the Prince not being able to winne the Town with faire words Mistricht besieged as he had done the other was constrained to change his note and keep measure with the Canon So that he intrenched himselfe before it and gave the Spaniards leasure to put an Army into the Feild who sent for their forces out of the Palatinat which beat the French who endeavoured to hinder their passage and joyned in a Body under the conduct
by his temerity It is in a general Definition and not in a particular fight that a General ought to shew his dexterity and valour A Peace was made in haste and the strangers who were ingaged with Monsieur very ill handled and he hoped to obtaine the aforesaid Dukes pardon but in vaine for he ended his life The Duke of Montmorancy beheaded by the hand of an ordinary Executioner and his House ended also with his life This brave Lord who had performed so many remarkable services was sacrificed to the interest which was taken in the Swedish Party his aversion from which was discovered by himselfe It is great wisdom to hide ones passions and to lay open those of others to hear much and say little This violent proceeding much amazed all the Lords of France augmented the Cardinals hatred and gave Monsieur a good horse to be gone again out of the Kingdom This very year the Embassadour of Spain arriving at London brought things so to passe with his frequent pursuits and instances Peace between Spain England that he terminated the difference between his Master and the King of England notwithstanding all the oppositions which were made and the thwartings which were brought by the Embassadours of France and the confederated States Pope Vrban to purge himselfe from the hatred which was born him by all the zealous Catholicks Pope Urban little loved by the zealous Catholicks for their seing him in secret intelligence with the Cardinal whom they made Author of all the misfortunes and mischiefs suffered by the Church published a Jubile but all that was not able to wash away the ill opinion which was conceived of him and in a Synod which was held in Spain they treated of abrogating his Authority in regard they saw him favour them who endeavoured to destroy a House which will never fall but with the ruine of the Catholick Religion Yea because he appeared not abroad at the publick rejoycing which was made at Rome for the death of King Gustave who had been so much feared many were heard to mutter and speak such bad and rash words as the licentiousnes and unlimitednes of the miserable Times produced When the Shepherd takes no care of his Sheep the Wolves get some of them very cheap Piety waxes cold and the weeds grow at length to stifle the good corne CHAP. XXIX The King of Sweden regretted and by whom Wallenstein causes some Officers to be executed John de Werdt makes himselfe known The Battel of Hamelen and the cruelty of the Victorious Brisac succoured by the Duke of Feria War in the Archbishoprick of Colein THe Body of this great Warrier was embalmed and carryed into Pomerania and from thence to Stockholme to be laid in the Tomb of his Ancestours He resuscitated the ancient glory of the Goths and the notice of his Army struck both Europ and Asia into terrour There was a report given out It is published that Gustave is not dead and beleeved by some of them who were most affectionate to him that he was not dead but had secretly transported himselfe into Sweden for some affairs of importance and to discover the humour of the Princes but this fiction was grounded upon Maxime of Policie and having gotten some Vogue was not unprofitable to the Party He was given neither to wine not women and he inexorably chastized all such as fayled of their duty He much changed at last from what he had been as his first entry into Germany and no marvail since his very Subjects themselves having been as gentle as Lambs before were now become arrogant by so much good success so many spoyles and the enjoyment of a Countrey so much better and happier then their own The Princes of the Party lamented him extrinsecally but were in effect glad enough to be rid of such a Conquerour who had gotten a far greater possession of the hearts of their Subjects then they had themselves But the King of France and the Cardinal were truly sorry for him because they had not brought that House lowenough which they had a minde to strip of some fayre States as it hath since appeared And now in regard they had payd the charge they prepared to go to the Banquet by buying the Towns which the Sweeds had taken neer the Rheyn He left one Daughter only He left behinde him only one Daughter Heyress to her Fathers vertues as well as his Crowne and he left his Lievtenants and Allyes the care to finish the worke not yet perfected The Hollanders began more to feare him then love him and by consequence expressed no great resentment of his death nor did they desire him at all for their neighbour wherefore they were not a little glad to see him leave Colein and march up into Bavaria He will never be forgotten either by his friends or his enemyes and his memory will live to the end of the world The Hughenots cal the Lutherans Brothers The Hughenots of France for his sake began already to call the Lutherans their Brethrea and it is held for certain that he was endeavouring to awaken the old quarrels in Italy and else where He was about two years and a half in Germany accompanyed by so much happiness yea too much to last long that his own very friends were amazed at it The Swedes make the Offensive every where To declare to all the world that he had obtained the Victory when he dyed his enemies retyred into Bohemia and the Swedes made every where the offensive The Duke of Brunswick and the Landgrave of Hassia brought War upon the Bishops in Westphalia who had lost their Souldier Gustave Herne and some others transported it into Alsatia and Swaveland and General Bawdas in the district of Colein Duke Bernard cleansed Misuia and Arnem subjugated Silesia But what did Wallenstein during all these floods He cut of the Heads of many of his Officers Wallenstein executâ—s some Officers and why And why for not having performed their duty Yea rather to begin thereby to warp the web of his treason and put in execution what he had hatched in his Soule and therefore he put to death such as he knew were most affectionate to the Emperours service Vertue comes upon the Scaffold as well as Vice There was no remedy for he had full power without appeal but the innocent blood spurted in his face sooner then he thought for the cry thereof never findes the ears of the great God stopped is must be revenged Baudits designe upon Tuits a small town upon the bank of the Rheyn opposite to Colein issued well but he was beaten out again and his proceeding abhorred for breaking the new trality So that he retyred to Siburgh a convenient place to incommodate the Archbishoprick Aldringers Victorâ— General Aldringers Victory was greater neer the Leck where he cut of the Troops of the Marquis of St. Andrew and retook some places in Sweveland and John
King of Poland going into Spain to be Vice-Roy of Portugal was beaten by a tempest into a Port of Province where being stayed prisoner and conducted to Paris he was detained a very long time there and not enlarged till after many reiterated Embassyes from the King and Common-wealth of Poland Charles Prince Palatin having in England received the news of Duke Bernards deceaseâ— and conferred with the King and the Spanish Embassadour there departed secretly and passed through France to winne the favour of that Orphan-Army and take possession of Brisack but he was discovered at Moâ—â—lins in the district of Burbon and carried prisoner to the Bois de Vincennes The Duke of Lorraine fought very unhappily against Monsieur du Hallier saw himself quickly stripped of the rest of his States and his poor subjects very ill treated The distressed Burgundians had also their share of the mischiefs of war and sufficient cause to repent themselves of having refused the Troops offered them by Galasso The Spanish Fleet beaten in the Downes 1639. We will finish this year with the huge victory which the Hollanders got of the great Spanish Armada or Navie upon the Coast of England which was almost all burnt and ruined the twenty one of September 1639. and a good number of ships carried into Holland The account of the dead and wounded men was very great and Spain resented this wound a long time by the dispeopling of her Inhabitants It hath not yet been known upon what design this Navie came into the North and all the discourses which have been held thereof have been founded but upon simple conjectures A Revolt in Normandy and in Pâ—â—ou The Normans fell into Commotions and seditions which quite ruined their Province The people were so oppressed by Gabells and Taxes that they had nothing left them but their miserable lives and those full of despaire too To what purpose is it to take some Townes upon the Fronteers of their enemies if it be done with the blood and ruine of the poor people I would take Towns enow saida certain great Warrier but they would cost my subjects too dear I desire to winne them not to buy them In fine not being able to support so many exactions they took Arms under the conduct of a certain Jean Vanuds-pâ—eds in English â—ohn Goe bare-foot At first they were despised and slighted but finding favour credit and intelligence it was needfull to send forces to defeat them which was done and Generall Gassion entring into Rouen disarmed the Inhahitanâ—s and used them as if it had been a Town taken upon the Spaniards without carrying respect so much as to that Illustrions Company some whereof he ignominiously casheâ—red Oh Times Oh manners If the reverence which we ought to bear to Justice be taken away in what esteem think you can the Lawes be The Inhabitants of Caen had almost the same treatment The revolt of the Croquans in Boiâ—oâ—â— had no better issue and all such as would endeavour to check this Great Cardinals authority made ship-wrack of both body and goods It was not lawfull to complain for that blinde Goddess had perhaps taken up her lodging in the head of this great Minister who could not faile It is said of the French that they Ride and not faile In effect were their potency so great upon the one of these Elements as it is upon the other and they as prudent to preserve as they are generous to atchieve they might openly pretend to an universal Monarchy For they have manifested in these last wars that they know how to correct their defects and that they can as well defeat Navies at Sea as Hosts ashore and Monsieur de Brezè with the Arch-Bishop of Bourdeaux shewed no less address and dexterity in the conduct of his Vessels then he had done in that of the Army which he led into Brabans so that work was every where cut our for the King of Spaines Subjects CHAP. X The revolt of Catalunia and Portugal The taking of Arras The Spaniards beaten beaten before Cazal The Hollanders beaten before Hulst THe House of Austria was not enough afflicted yet by so many losses and so many Plots and Treasons but she must be yet more tottered by other disasters and rebellions Spain was indeed within her singers breadth of destruction by the revolts which are yet in durance and which it was believed would make her loose the Low-Countries and her States in Italy But as a great Oak agitated by the windes resists strongly and raises it self up against them just so does this House which men labour in vain to overthrow For there are too many Allyes to maintain her It is in the deepest misfortunes that she shewes least apprehension and in the most imminent dangers that she makes her valour known This year of 1640 was almost fatall to her by the defection of Catalunia Portugal and part of the Indies the loss of Arras and the unhappy success of her Arms in Italy besides the approach of the Swedish war to the bank of the Danub Let us take notice in due order as much as brevity will permit us of the motives of these stirres King Philip the fourth who now reignes in Spain being a milde Prince and a little more addicted to his pleasures then the state of his affaires required left the administration thereof to the Count of Olivares who as changes grow not without a cause rendred himself odious to almost all his Masters Subjects yea and complaints came of him even from the Low-Countries themselves besides that the Grandies who ordinarily pry upon all occasions to get themselves rid of a potent Minister so well fomented the grievances of the people that they brought them to open revolt upon these pretexts He had great forces of Spaniards and Walloons in Catalunia ordered to guard that Province against the invasion of the French But Rule and Discipline was not so exactly kept but that the licentiousness of the souldiers made the Inhabitants murmur who suddenly rising up in Arms slew their Guests and beat such as came to revenge the sedition Yea upon Corpus Christs-day it self The revolt of the Cataluniaâ—s 1640. they cruelly murthered their Governour With a mutinous people there is nothing sacred no more then there is reason The King was not able to stop this torrent by mildness and clemency and so since the Sluce was broaken the water must be let run For the very Bishops and Priests themselves wore plain Incendiaries and Don Ioseph of Margarita with some other great persons made them subtract themselves from the obedience of their Prince to embrace the protection of France A certain great Politician of this Age discoursing one day upon this matter said that the Catalunian took Armes for their Priviledges and to be succoured by a Nation which made profession of observing none at all The Marshall of Schoonbergh desirous to advantage himselt by this occasion offered them his forces and obliged
the Princes The Duke of Boüillon and the Duke de la Rochefancant raised a great Army But by the intercession of the Duke of Orleans all such as acted for the Princes The Accord made at Bourdeaux 1650 were pardoned Arms laid down every body restostored to favour and the Dutchess of Boüillon delivered There was none but the Princess Dowager of Conde who could not digest this bitterness for taking the detention of her children too much to heart and the repulse of her suits The Princesse Dowagers death she grew at last to yeeld under the burthen of her afflictions and left this vale of misery to go and take possession of the holy Jerusalem The King made his entrance into Bourdeaux the first day of October in a most sumptuous and stately Gally which was sent him by them of the Town where he was received with all testimonies of joy and a Generall Vive le Roy where he passed And the seventh of the same moneth he departed for Paris Cardinal Mazarin seeing the number of his enemies increase resolved to stop their monthes with a glorious action which proved usefull to the State and served for an evidence to all Europe that his Ministery was advantagious both to the King and kingdom of France He puts the Militia in order gave the souldiers money conducted the Army straight to Retel and after having given it three Assaults Mazarin retakes Retel made the Spaniards march out The Vice-Count of Turenne being a brave souldier for whose valour some certain Towns in Germany had declared themselves for him forthwith brought his Troops into the Field hastened to succour the Place and gave the besieged an advertisement of the reliefe but too late He advanced with six thousand horse for his foot could not follow but he was charged by the Marshall of Prastin and after a resistance which cost much blood defeated The Spaniards beaten The Spaniards recollected themselves in the Province of Luxemburgh and the Conquerours went to take up their winter quarters in Normandy and Lorraine where the Count of Lignevills progresse was soon stopped And the Lorraines for being beaten by the Marquis of Seneterre he was compelled to march away with the losse of about nine hundred men and four pieces of Canon This year the Deputies of the Cantons of Swisserland arrived in France to present their complaints and they were contented There needed no lesse then a whole Army to force the Leidgers or people of Leidge to open their purses and the Swedes having obtained the tax of Contributions repassed the Rhein The Princes demand the Investure The evacuation being finished in Germany and the Embassadours retyred the Princes sent an Embassie to the Emperour to demand the Investure of their Fief The King of Denmark asked it for the Dutchy of Holstein by Monsieur de Rantzow who returned with the honour of the title of Count. After these honours followed the Reformations almost every where I would to God that abuses andill customes were also reformed with as much zeal The Goods of the Swissers arrested since the precedent year caused many complaints and menaces which produced a meer restitution only Let us take a turn into Spain with the Emperours daughter newly espowsed to the Catholick King who was every where received with magnificent pomps and honours but principally at Madrid where there was at the same time an Embassadour from the Grand Signor The Embassadour from the Turk in Span. who being brought to a most stately Audience adorned with Diamants and precious stones first condoled the Queens death then congratulated the new marriage and demanded a private audience for his Commission The tenour of his letter of credence was To the most Glorious of all Christian Princes from Aly Solyman Lord of the House of the Ottomans c. First He offered the Holy Sepulcher Secondly True Commerce without further exercise of Piracy Thirdly He proposed a match between Don John of Austria and the Sultanesse of whom we formerly spake and who was now become Catholick at Maltha promising him a kingdom under the Turk And Fourthly and lastly That all prisoners might be released on both sides The Presents were rich and noble and the Embassy in apparence faire but the issue thereof declared that all was but Complement The Residents of the Parliament massacred at Madrid and at the Haghe Mr. Anthony Ascam being arrived at the same Court in the quality of Resident for the Parliament of England found his Tragicall end there as Doctor Dorislaw had already found his at the Haghe Charles Stewarts Embassadour being introduced to his Audience fell forthwith a weeping and thereby moved the King to compassion The King of Portugal by favouring Prince Robert caused the English Fleet to come and lye before his Havens which put him to so much dammage that both he and his subjects had leasure to repent themselves of having offended that Parliament CHAP. VIII Blakes Fleet in Portugal Charles Stewart in Jersy The Kings Lands and Goods sold The aforesaid Charles goes into Scotland The English go thither with an Army The Scots are beaten The continuation of the war in Candie War by the Pen. The Spanish Embassadour at London The Chineses turned Catholicks IT is in the Britannick Islands that Bellona now exercises her rage for she hath established her sear there and looks as if she would stay some time Charles was in the Isle of Jersy where he distributed Commissions to fall upon the English ships and spoyle their Trade But upon a certain advice which was given him General Blake before the River of Lisbone The Kings Goods sold he departed and Generall Blake went and shut up Prince Robert in the River of Lisbone whilest the Kings Goods were sold at London as namely his three Crownes his Scepter the Golden Garter all the Jewels Pictures Images Rarities and whatsoever else of price and value Some put the Crownes upon their Heads the Garter about their Legs and took the Scepter in their hands saying Look how well these Ornaments become me Who would have imagined such a change The mony which was made of these said Goods was employed upon the States service They passed yet further they brake down the Kings Statue upon the old Exchange and set up this Inscription Exiit Tyrannus Regum ultimus The Parliament searing lest Charles through some good success should come and disturb the Peace of England by means of some Creatures of his there laboured to prevent him and Fairfax having surrendred his Commission to that most renowned Captain Generall Cromwell he marched with an Army of sixteen thousand men to face the Scots who were above five and twenty thousand killed above three thousand of them upon the place Cromwels victory over the Scots and took above ten thousand prisoners for the rest run away to publish the glory of the Nation Indeed he had as good success as Don John of Austria who lost
but nine men in the Battail near Namurs and he lost but about twenty in this yea and he got this as good cheap as he had that of Marquis Hamilton whom he utterly defeated the year before in England with a handful of men It was conceived that there were some Traitors amongst that Nation which yet is faithfull enough and that they who had sold their King were yet alive to sell this Army OLIVER Lord Protector of the Common-wealth of England Scotland and Irelande c. Sould by P Stent There was no difficulty found in the Empire but about the Toll or Custome upon the River of Wiser adjudged to the Count of Oldenbergh The Tell upon the Wiser whom they of Bremen earnestly opposed but being affrighted by the Imperial Thunderbolt they obeyed The Emperour sent Embassadours to Mantua to demand the Princesse for his Wife and the Duke of Bavaria his to fetch the Princesse of Savoy The Grand Signor being tired by a war of so much durance offered the Venetians a peace by yeelding them the Kingdom of Candy whereat they laughed and resolved to continue the war The Turks attacked Candy in vaine and after having lost very many men returned towards Canea The Victory of the Venetians But the Venetians were yet more happy by Sea then by Land for they defeated the Fleet which carried telles to Canea retook the strong Castle of S. Theodore and ruined some Gallyes besides in such sort as Te Deum was sung at Venice with great solemnity The Chineses Converted Amongst all the disasters and afflictions of Christendom came the news of the Coversion of the Chineses or People of China to the Roman Catholick Religion which much rejoyced all such as took more to heart the propagation of that Religion then the interests of fading States As war was made with the Pike so was it also with the Pen. For Salmasius wrote a Book in defence of the King of England and a certain Englishman called Milton who was not known before Milton writes against Salmasius and grew famous by entring the Lists with this triumphant Champion most acutely and elegantly answered it The Schollars and even the very Women have been seen in Arms in many places and both Sexes have shewed that they know how to handle the Sword The Elements the Servants of this great God being irritated rise up to stifle the rest of Mortals the Mountaines vomis fire the Earth trombles the Aire being infected with pestilence wasts and ransacks Poland as it hath already done other Parts of Europe the continual raines make the Rivers break over their banks The Danub the Rheyn and the Moze do irreparable hurs The overflowing of Rivers and the carnal Embarasments which happen in many places destroy what was left by the Souldiers The dammages which were caused by the overflowings of the Sea and the raines were also excessively great in Italy from whence the war began by little and little to retire it selfe and was not carried on with so much fury as it had formerly been This world is full of wonders and unheard of accidents The Spanish Embassadour at London acknowledged England for a Free Common-wealth The Spanish Embassadour in England acknowledges the Parliament and was treated with were great respect and honour This businesse astonished all the World to see a great Catholick King who hath alwayes been an Enemy to Protestants make friendship with a people who had alwayes in times past beenutter enemiesiro his Family But the Politicians penetrated to sownd the grounds which might bring Philip the fourth and his Council to make amity with them Why Considering the assistance which the English had given the Hollanders against the Crown of Spain the ruin of the Spanish Fleet in the Downes the Allyance of the French with the Lutherans in Germany the wars with France and many other motives made him think it fit to make an Allyance with this Republick Let us accompany such as are curious to the Crowning of the Queen of Sweden God hath a minde to chastise mankinde he easily findes means to do it for no body can hide himself from his face The Lawrel which Cardinal Mazarin had upon his head could not secure him from the Thunderbolt for the Parisians having already forgotten his services would needs have him bannished The Parliament went to the Queen at the Palace Royal and demanded the liberty of the Princes for the tranquillity of the Kingdom She and her Council being surprized required some time to advise of what should be most expedient for the good of the State which was granted But the answer not coming after the expiration of the terme the Court of Parliament assisted by the authority of the Duke of Orleans concluded to give an Order or Decree for the justification of the Princes The Queen seeing the hear wherewith their deliverance was pursued consented and dispatched the Marshal of Grammont The Princes delivered and the Cardinal giving way to the powerful aversion of such as would not suffer him to be any longer Minister of State left Paris The Cardinal retires went and spake with the Princes and departed out of the Kingdom There is no place in this lower world where Fortune more absoludy raignes then in the Court of France For many began now to speak ill of him who were soon after glad enough to winne his favour Mottals put not your trust in this inconstant Goddess who often inebriates you to throw you under her wheel His departure amended not the businesse The United Provinces fell into some alterations which required a speedy remedy The Belgick Lyon put them in minde of their first Symbole The Country was without a Governour the choice of Magistrates and Officers returned to the Towns and the deceased Princes Guards took the Oath of Fidelity to the States of Holland from whom they received their pay The Deputies of all the Provinces were sent for the great Hall was prepared and they of Zeland arrived first The Embassadours of the Parliament in Holland The Embassadours of the Parliament of England came to the Haghe and were received with much honour however the people effectively expressed their aversion from them by breaking their windowes and other insolencies in such sort as the States to hinder greater inconveniences The aversion of the people and save Persons Sacred by the Law of Nations placed a great Court of Guard before their house But let us return into Poland and we shall hear that the perfidy of the Cossacks and their General suffers not the new King to taste a little rest in the very beginning of his taign For they brought back the Tartars The second war of the Cossacks The Grand Signor sent them a Sable and the Patriarch of Constantinople brought them a Benediction and yet they left not to loose four thousand men in a Battel where the King was present and were constrained some dayes after
taken and Hannibal Zeestadt for having contemned the Kings Authority was degraded from his charge and deprived of almost all his Estate These two Lords had marryed each of them one of the dead Kings naturall Daughters and were Brothers-in-Law to Count Wolmaor The Count Wolmaer goes into Muscovie who during his Fathers life went into Muscovie to marry the Grand Dukes Daughter where he tryed the perfidie of those Barbarians who in consideration of an advice come from another place would not give him the Princesse but upon unreceivable conditions In fine having unpesterest himself from their hands and received his liberty he repassed through Poland put himself into the Imperiall Armies whore he acquired great reputation and high employments and the Emperours favour to boot Thus all was appeased in that Kingdom and let us now returne post back through Germany where we shall find nothing but a reformation and some complaints which rang every where of the Garrison of Frankendal The French forces marched towards the Low-Countryes and committed some robberies and violences upon the Fronteers of Flanders the Spaniards opposed them and towards the end of the Summer drew out some regiments and made them march under the conduct of that great Captain the Marquis of Sfondrato who took Fuernes with small resistance Sfondrato takes Fuernes and Berghen St. Wynock 1651. but Berghen St. Wynock a strong place and ayded by the waters of the Sea which the Sluces being drawn let passe and which gave the Souldiers great vexations opened her gates the eleventh day to let the Spanish Garrison in and the French out The Fort Linck was also soon reduced and Burburgh being abandoned was put again into condition to defend it self It was conceived that the Spaniards would make an attempt upon Dunkerk but the continual rains the lateness of the season and sicknesses amongst the souldiers sent the Army back to rest CHAP. XII The Cardinal returns into France The Lords who had been imprisoned are restored to their employments The Prince of Condè retyres from Paris The King declared May or Prodigies seen upon the Sea The beginning of the troubles between England and Holland and why The death of Spiâ—ing The Cardinals forces passe through Holland HOwever Cardinal Mazarin was unhappy in a Crosse of fortune yet he omitted not either his care or any occasion to serve the King of France For he contracted some of the forces which were disinissed in Cleveland and sent them secretly down the Rheyn to Rotterdaim where being discovered and their leader summoned to the Haghe the Souldiers constrained the Boatmen to put them a shore and so every one went whether he pleased In the moneth of August there arrived neer two thousand Neapolitans before the Rammekens in foure ships who tryed the courtesie of the Zelanders heard their grumblings and were forced to returne to Sea since the passage to Antwerp was not allowed them The Printe of Condè retyres himself from coâ—rt After the Princes departure the Lords who were released were restored to their former charges But a sudden gust or blast which surprizes the Mariners at Sea in a great Calme doth not more hare them then the Prince of Condes sudden retreat did the French upon an advertizement which had been given him that the Queen would secure his person again She sent a protestation to him that she had no such design and that it was nothing but false reports scattered by the Enemies of France and so upon conditions that the Cardinals Creatures as Servient Tellier c. should retyre from the Court he came back to Paris but these conditions were ill enough observed The King declared Mayor the seventh of September 1651. The seventh of September the King being at the Parliament the Chanceller declared him Mayor as being entred into the fourteenth year of his Age and the Queen discharged her self of her Regencie The Prince of Condè upon another information given him that they would murther him retyred himself again to St. Maur and from thence to Bourdeaux where he drew the inhabitants to his party and the Spaniards came to succour him with seventeen Ships Mezarin returns into France The King and Queen went to Poictiers where they sent for the Cardinal who forthwith obeyed and came to them with some thousands of men and was received by them both with superlative testimonies of benevolence Thus was the fire grown greater then ever and more certain apparence of a general combustion throughout the whole Kingdom An order of Parliament was proclamed against Cardinal Mazarine declaring him guilty of High Treason as a Perturbatour of the Kingdom all his Lands and Goods confiscated his fine Library sold a hundred and fifty thousand Livers or Florins adjudged to any body who would bring him alive or dead The Spaniards come again into France and the Spaniards called again into France by the Prince of Condè under the conduct of the Duke of Nemours The Kings complaints were answered by other and the conclusion was that if his Majesty would expell the Cardinal the forrain forces should retyre out of France Let us leave the French thus divided some leaning to the Princes side and some to Mazarins and these latter were styled Mazarinists for we must take notice of the motion of the English towards a War with the Vnited Previnces which were of the same Religion their Friends and Neighbours For the English put out an Act forbidding the importing any commodities from any place but those of their own growth and in their own ships to the intention of increasing the shipping and Mariners of that Nation which act how highly it disgusted the Hollanders the effects of a most fierce War will demonstrate Some Prodigies preceded this War which I will set down briefly without staying upon the circumstances thereof Oh unhappy Age No sooner are we delivered from one misfortune then we fall into a greater For these united Provinces had no sooner given thanks to the Almighty for Peace then they found themselves ill looked upon by many Potentates envied by some and incommodated by others in their trade In fine the mischief came from that part which they least suspected Take heer the Prodigies which were seen by men of credit and report thereof made to the States in this substance Prodigees seen neer the mouth of the Sea That upon Fry day the twenty second of December 1651 about nine of the clock ten or twelve leagues from the mouth of the Moze they saw a plaine Field of the hight of a man about the Horizon and therein many Souldiers both foot and Horse which forthwith disappeared Next they saw neer about the same place a great Fleet coming from the North some of the Vessels whereof had their Sayles but half up By and by there appeared another from the South-east which came straight to attack the Former and then it seemed as if all the Ships were sunk to the bottom which
yet shewed themselves again so distinctly that they were able to discerne the Ropes and Cables Last of all they saw the great Vessels again which they had discovered first These visions lasted about three houres A Lyon on the North side of the Ships performed the last Act under which there appeared animals of different shapes which turned into Ships The Parliament of England being grown formidable by Charles Stewarts expulsion whom they quite expelled the Island and by the conquest of the Kingdom of Scotland was much intense upon War and desirous to diminish the traffique which hath inriched these united Provinces as by taking the Ships which they met either at Sea or came into their havens and then by giving Letters of Mart. The begining by Letters of Mart. Whereupon the complainrs of the Holland Marchants obliged the States to send their Embassadours to acknowledge them for a Free Common Wealth to renew friendship and to redemand their Vessels taken The first point pleased them and the second was payed with silence and the third differred as never to be granted The Propositions which they made the said Embassadours were so high and beyond their expectation that the High and Might Lords resolved upon War Whilest these things were in agitation there hapned an encounter betwixt General Blake and Admiral Tromp about striking The first attak wherein Tromp was so briskly received that he had much adoe to get handsomly off leaving two ships behind him in the possession of the English This action hastened the returne of the Embassadours and set the States on work for the fitting of a second Fleet which was retarded by the wary Hollanders out of hope of composing the difference by representing the necessity of a good harmony betwixt the two Nations They wanted neither strength courage nor convenience to hurtâ— but other considerations made them seek an accommodation which these new Republicans rejected Mousieur Spiring the Embassadour of Sweden used all diligence to prevent the States Embassadours departure Every one goes into England to acknowledge the Parliament and encouraged them to acknowledge England for a Free State The Title in his Letter of Credence not being well adjusted he met with some little difficulty yet nevertheless obtained Audience but death taking him soon away deprived that State of a great friend After the Spanish Embassadour had acknowledged them every body hastened to the Offering as fearing to be the last Only France seemed not much to care but after having suffered a very rough check she at last came as we shall shortly demonstrate But we must yet make another great circuit before we conclude our Work CHAP. XIII The miseries at Sea caused by Pirats The present state of Norway Denmark Sweden Poland Hungary Germany Italy Spain and France c. HItherto we have seen the wars begun and caried on first for the authority and occupation or seazure of Countries under the princtpal pretext of Religion and then there hapned so great a Hotchpot and such a confused variety by the shuffling together of so many different Allyances and deceiptful practices that this precicus Cloak being grown quite thred-bare could be no longer worne and therefore the hatred of Nations and old quarrels must now be brought upon the Stage Indeed if according to the saying of Tertullian by forging so many Religions there grow at length to be none at all left with the like foundation may I also say that by making so many various Allyances which are so easily broken and so dexterously patched together again there is no Allyance at all I have to do said a certain Monarch with a bordering people which never keep their Faith but when they perceive no occasion to hurt me By this it is that there is so much trouble to make a peace and they who labour to joyne the two Parties finde so much difficulty and repugnance in regard of the indelible distrusts and jealousies between them that they cannot accomplish it Sea-Rovers Besides that there have alwayes been Sea-Rovers who as The The eves hidden in the Woods and Forrests have surprized passengers and laid wait for the Merchants Ships and at present we see whole Fleets the Sea loaden with Vessels to attacke not by stealth but open force the said Merchants Ships and the men of War also which accompany them Some years agoe the Sea was free and safe enough but now there are more and greater dangers there then there ever were by Land Let us passe through the North and end our Carrer in England The Kingdom of Norway being secured by its poverty feared not the year before nor this present year neither the war wherein the King of Denmark seemed ready to involve himself Thirty English Ships stopt in Denmark For he redemanded the Portion of his Aunt Anne Queen of England which being refused he stopped and confiscated some thirty English Merchant Ships and made a streight Allyance thereupon with the States of Holland for their Common Interests That Libell which was made in Sweden being washed and wiped off with the blood of the Authours thereof all was there in good order and diligence was used for the setting out of a little considerable Fleet which gave the bordering parts so much jealousie that King Frederick sent his Embassadours thither who returned with a good answer A Spanish Resident at Stockholme There was then a Spanish Resident at the Court of Sweden who treated secretly and the affairs of the last Assembly were conducted there so occultly that there was no light at all to be found thereof But true it is that Silence is the Soul of great Expedtions Livonia was well guarded against the invasion of the Polanders and the Treaties at Lubeck between them and the Swedes produced no good operation at all so that the Embassadours retired to the great displeasure of such as meddled in them The Muscovits did nothing in a long time which deserves to be noted here But the Polanders felt as well as the rest of the Nations of Europe the Rod of the Almighty by pestilence inundations and wars which continue even yet against the Rebellious Cossacks under the direction and authority of King Casimir The accidental fire which was like to burne the young Princesse was taken as an ill augure by such as were curious but the Kingdom is yet in vigour and the Armies in condition to ruin their enemies The Turks and Tartars made some irruptions into Hungary which gave both dammage and fear by the marching of some Troops but at present the Peace is exactly kept The Empire enjoyes the Peace made at Munster and every Prince labous by the offer of fair Priviledges to revive both his Country and the Religion he professes The Emperour who shewes that he took the redresse of the Empire more to heart then the preservation of his own life assembled all the Electors the last year at Prague The Electors at Prague 1692. and courted
the French Fleet. The Cardinal of Retz induces the King to come back to Paris The Prince of Conde retires into France Cardinal Mazarins praises The Cardinal of Retz carried to the Bois de Vincennes THis young Mars this invincible Courage judging his person to be more necessary at Paris then at Bourdeans left his Lieutenants the direction of his own Forces shewed himself quickly amongst those of the Duke of Orleans and the Strangers and made the Marshal D'hoquincour feel that he was no more in Guyenne for after having lost his Troops Marshal D'hoquincour beaten he was constrained to sly The King made his Army march under Turenns orders who went to attack Estampes but finding the Duke of Lorraine to draw near he retired and confessed that the Strangers who were in the Town defended themselves bravely It looked as if the Princes would have a good bargaine of all such as made head against them when upon a suddain the Duke of Lorraine by the interposition of the King of Englands Eldest Son made a contract apart received mony and retired himself out of the Kingdom but he sent back his Army shortly after with the Spaniards because the restitution of the three places promised was not performed The Prince being irritated and the Parisians extreamly amazed began to revile the said Duke and all in fine discoursed of him according to their passion Some accused him of inconstance and others of avarice but such as had a straine above the vulgar judged that there was some vengeance hidden under this action and that the levity both of the one and the other so often manifested to them whose assistance they had both implored and felt ought to be recompensed by a just retaliation Be it what it will the Princes Troops being tired by frequent Skermishes and by that furious and bloody shock given in the Faubourgs or Suburbs of St. Anthony wherein the Mazarinists or Royalists had the worst being very much diminished the Arch-dukes succour was sent for again which being conducted by the Baron of Clinchant advanced quite to Paris But let us come back into Flanders Graveling besieged Mardyke abandoned yeelds and Dunkeâ—k afterwards The Arch-Duke finding that the fire was too great in France to be so soon extinguished made a shew of besieging Dunkerk but his design was upon Graveling one of the most important places of the Low-Countries which defended it self enough but for want of sufficient Garrison was yeelded upon the same Conditions that it had been formerly taken Mardyke was abandoned and Dunkerk expecting the relief by Sea which was dofeated by the English was retaken without either losse or bloodshed Thus were three places reduced to obedience with a hand-full of men which had cost the French mountains of Gold and Seas of blood Who would have said so much six years before when there seemed to be no doubt at all made of the utter expulsion of the Spaniards Times change men change victories are alternative and nothing is constant but the immutable Order of the Decree of the Everlasting This reduction deservedly rejoyced all Flanders which saw her Traffick and Inhabitants slourish again The Town of Dunkerk had been offered to the States of Holland for Mastricht for a summe of money but the bargain was not made The City of Paris seeing it self in violent and murtherous factions the Parliament in confusion the Country People frighted away strangers in the Kingdome the Princes in a very difficult passage to be cleared and the Clergy afflicted by these unhappy disorders resolved to dispatch the Cardinal de Retx to the King who was with a new Parliament at Pontoise to beseech him The King returns to Paris to return to Paris This Embassie was well received by his Majesty who having published an Act of Oblivion was so much better at Paris The Prince of Conde retyred himself with the forrain Troops took Retel and St. Menhout and his winter quarters at the beginning of the spring 1653. And the Duke of Odeans departs The Duke of Orleans having received order either to come to the King or to retyre himself rather chose the latter then to suffer Cardinal Mazarins presence who quickly caused the order to be annulled that was made against him because there was no body found who had a mind to earn a hundred and fifty thousand Crowns by killing him Thus we see the figure turned up-side down the Cardinal above the wheel and the Princes under it so that Conde chose rather to cast himself into the King of Spaines arms then to trust his own Masters Act of Oblivion and Conty was received at Bourdeaux together with the Dutchesse of Longueville his Sister whilest her husband stayed amongst the waves of this raging Sea in his Government Reader be not amazed at these Metamorphoses or changes for the causes thereof are not so hard to be comprehended as that of the Tyde of the Sea was to the Prince of the Philosophers What do you hope to see but monsters prodiges and miracles The Province of Gasconie being fertill in subtill wits and brave souldiers was no sooner got out of one danger then she fell into a precipice yet more perilous through blind temerity and as well to serve the passion of others as for not receiving the satisfaction promised them or rather for seeing their Complaints despised and that which had been promised them very ill performed The puissant Armies which were to ruine Mazarin returned without having done any memorable action at all The Parliament being in division knew not where to sinde it self the Citizens changed like the wind and wedded sometimes the one Party and sometimes the other Yea the Princes themselves were in discord for the Duke of Neâ—oâ—â—s was killed in a Duel by his Brother-in Law the Duke of Beaufort and the Count of Riâ—â—â— carriâ—d prisoner to the Bastill by the Duke of Orlâ—aâ—â—'s order for having resisted Goâ—de In such sort as all issued to the Kings advantage by the Great Cardâ—nals wise Counsell who like an experienced Pilot saved the vessel from ship-wrack and brought her over so many Rocks amongst so many Quick-sands in the darknesse of a cloudy night and amongst â—o many contrary winds to the Port. For he knew how to sow the tares of distention amongst them who would take the Helm from him and threw them out of that ship which he never abandoned in the very height of the storm Indeed to say the truth the King had need of such a man though he be more usefull to him then to the poor subjects and some have reviled him by following the passion others or for resentment rather then by the knowledge of affaires and therefore are as incapable to judge of him Cardinal Mazuins praise as a blind man is of Colours The rash judgements of the ignorant people cause tumults and seditions and kindle a fire which invirons a whole State for which there there must be a speedy remedy True
died the the seventh of this moneth of Iannary and the Cardinals after a long deliberation in the Conclave and the colluctation of the French and Spanish Factions elected Cardinal Ghisi to the See Cardinal Ghisi elected Pope who took upon him the name of Alexander the Seventh The States of Austria upon the twenty sixth of February did homage to the young Arch-Duke Leopoldus Ignatius Son to the present Emperour which was performed with great State The Treaty being ratified between the King of Sweden and the City of Bremen the said City disbanded many Companies and gave Generall Conninxmark passage over the Bridge The Duke of Newburghs forces so much much streightned the Lorrainers in their quarters that they had much adoe to subsist there and the difference lately hapened betwixt the Electour Palatine and the Electour of Mentz not being yet ended but referred to the Assembly now here at Frankfurt the orther two Ecclesiastical Electours kept a small Army on foot to be able to stand in readinesse upon all occasions The Governour of Theonville who had boasted upon a certain time that he would be in Arlon at dinner the next day having notice that the Prince of Simay who is governour of Luxemburgh was marching with a considerable strength to meet him changed his design returned to Theonville and sent his men into winter quarters The Factions in Hungary about the chusing of a Palatinate being grown very high the Emperour resolved to go thither as well to allay the said troubles as also to have his Son Leopoldus Ignatins crowned King of that Country at Presburgh The Emperours Sonne Crowned King of Hungary which after many difficulties and some satisfaction given by him to the States and people of the Kingdom was performed with the accustomed Ceremonies An Insurrection in England There was a great Insurrection of the Cavalier-party in various parts of England against the Lord Protectour and present government which had it not been seasonably discovered and dissipated might peradventure have involved the whole Nation in a most fierce and bloody war One Party of them was under the conduct of Sir Joseph Wagstaffe and was routed neer Salsbury in Wilishire many principall persons taken prisoners amongst whom was Mr. Penruddock who with some others was alterwards tryed and executed at Exeter but Wagstaffe himself as also many others made their escape beyond-sea There were many of the said Plot taken in divers others parts of the Nation About the same time a Gentleman of great quality of the Country of Provence in France was arrested and imprisoned upon suspicion that he kept correspondence with General Blake then at Ligorn and that he intended to have betrayed the Port of Tonlon together with the ships therein to the English but after the said Generall was gone with his Fleet towards the Coast of Barbary he cleared himself so well of that charge that he was set at liberty and his said accusation found to be but a meer suggestion of some enemies of his The Polanders beat the Muscovits and Cossacks The Polanders obtained a great victory over the Muscovits and Cossacks near Vsman where after a shrewd fight of three dayes they put them to a totall rout and killed about fourteen thousand upon the place themselves losing not above two thousand save only some persons of condition The booty and spoyle they got was very great besides seven hundred Waggons and near a hundred Colour of Horse and Foot Whilest the Cardinals were busie in the Conclave about the Election of a new Pope An Anti-Pope chosen at Ascoli there met seaventy two Archbishops and Bishops with some Abbots at a certain place called Ascoli upon the borders of Neaples where after some dayes conference they chose one of their Members to be Pope rendring him all the usual honours even to the very worshipping him This Anti-Pope called himself Eugenius But the news thereof coming to the Conclave at Rome it so much startled them that they sent to the General of the Church-Militia to march speedily thither with some Forces to secure the Chief Authors of this great Schisme but they having notice thereof to prevent being apprehended brake up and parted and the new Anti-Pope fled The Tinkish Emperour Crowned There was such a concurse of people at Constantinople to see the Coronation of the young Emperour that lodging was hard to be found there and provisions were also at an excessive rate the Cossacks according to their old custom having so wasted and spoiled the Country on that side near the Black-Sea that it made them very scarce The Dogi or Duke of Venice being dead the Forty one shut themselves up according to custom and after some debate unanimously elected the Lord Contarini heretofore Embassadour Plenipotentiary at Munster and one of the most ancient Senators who was Crowned with the Dukes Crown with the wouted Solemnity the five and twentieth of March. The Queen of Sweden widow to the great victorious King Gustave having lain long sick of a Quartan Ague followed by a strong Rheume which fell upon her breast died the last of March in the Town of Niccoping The Duke of Savoy cast a cruel persecution upon the Protestants in the Vallyes of Angrogna The persecution of the Protestants in Piedmont Lucerna and St. Martins by sending the Marquis of Pianella together with the Count of Quince one of the French Licutenant Generals who set upon them beat them our of the said Vallyes and forced them tofly to the Mountains where they suffered much hunger and cold The news hereof coming into England the Lord Protectour being moved with compassion The Lord Protectours charity to them and charity dispatched one Master Moreland one of his own Gentlemen by the way of Paris to the foresaid Duke to mediate with him in the quality of Agent in behalf of the said distressed Protestants sending them also some relief of monyes out of his own Treasury and animating the people besides to contribute and collect publickly in the Churches considerable summs for them which accordingly was performed with remarkable zeal and remitted them as they have at large acknowledged by a most humble and ample Letter of thanks which they wrote to his Highness the transcript whereof would be too long to set down here and so would that of the King of France to his said Highness in answer to his to his Majesty wherein the King clears himself of having had any hand in the persecution of the said Protestants and friendly assures his said Highness to intercede with the Duke of Savoy in favour of them So that in fine after many debates the difference between the aforesaid Duke and his said Subjects is accommodated and Master Moreland returned Upon the two and twentieth of June there hapned such an extraordinary Thunder A Tempest at Gulick and Lightning at Gulick or Juleers that it pat all the people in excessive fear and there fell a Thunderbolt